Jacek Malczewski (Polish:[ˈjat͡sɛkmalˈt͡ʂɛfskʲi]ⓘ; 15 July 1854 – 8 October 1929) was a Polish
symbolist painter who was one of the central figures of the patriotic
Young Poland movement. His creative output combined the predominant style of his times with historical motifs of Polish
martyrdom, the romantic ideals of independence, Christian and
Greek mythology, folk tales, as well as his love of the natural world.[1][2] He was the father of painter
Rafał Malczewski.[3]
Childhood
Malczewski was born in
Radom,
Congress Poland, under occupation of the Russian Empire.[4] During his childhood and early youth he was greatly influenced by his father Julian, a Polish patriot and social activist who introduced him to the world of romantic literature inspired by the
November Uprising. On his mother's side, he was related to the
Szymanowski family whom they often visited on their
Masovian country estate in
Cygów. The attractiveness of the Polish landscape and associated
folklore had been awakened in him by Feliks Karczewski, his uncle and long-time guardian, who had invited future novelist
Adolf Dygasiński to his estate, to act as Jacek's home tutor.[1]
Artistic career
Malczewski moved to
Kraków at age 17, and began his artistic education in 1872 under the watchful eye of Polish painter and draughtsman
Leon Piccard [
fr] and attended his first art classes in the workshop of
Władysław Łuszczkiewicz at the
School of Fine Arts. A year later, in 1873, assessed by
Jan Matejko himself, Malczewski formally enrolled at the School, and studied with Łuszczkiewicz, Feliks Szynalewski and
Florian Cynk. In 1876 he went to
Paris and studied for a year at the
École des Beaux-Arts, in the studio of
Henri Lehmann. He next moved to the
Académie Suisse.[1][4]
Malczewski had already begun master classes with Jan Matejko in 1875 before embarking on the trip to France, and completed them in 1879 after his return from abroad. In spite of considerable stylistic differences between them, Malczewski was greatly influenced by Matejko's historical painting filled with
neo-romantic metaphor and patriotic themes. In 1879, Malczewski completed a course in composition under Matejko.[5] He was equally impressed with the dramatic art of earlier Polish romantic painter
Artur Grottger. His painting revolved around a few carefully selected motifs, constantly retold and expanded according to mythology and filled with national symbols. His own imagination enabled Malczewski to channel his creativity and let new aesthetic ideas emerge giving rise to what became Poland's school of Symbolism.[1]
Inspiration
Over the course of some 30 years between 1885 and 1916, Malczewski regularly visited Paris,
Munich and
Vienna. He made several trips to
Italy,
Greece and
Turkey. He also took part in an archaeological expedition organized by his friend
Karol Lanckoroński. He drew his inspiration from a wide variety of sources often exotic or biblical, and translated them back into Polish folklore, tradition and motifs in his own painting.[2] His most famous canvases include Błędne koło (Vicious Circle, 1895–97), Melancholia (1890–1894), Natchnienie malarza (Painter's Muse, 1897), Wizja (A vision, 1912), the Thanatos series, and Bajki (Fables). Many of his paintings prominently feature self-portraits in elaborate costume, a trademark of his style, often displaying a great sense of self-mocking humour.[1][2]
In 1897–1900 and 1912–1921 Malczewski served as professor of the
Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków.[6] He was elected rector of the academy in 1912.[7] His art has been compared to that of the Frenchman
Gustave Moreau, the Swiss
Arnold Böcklin, and even to the Spaniard
Salvador Dalí. His paintings won numerous awards at international exhibitions including
Berlin in 1891, Munich in 1892, and Paris in 1900.[1][2][8]
Personal life
Malczewski was married to Maria née Garlewska and they had two children, Julia (born 1888) and Rafał (born 1892), also a painter. His son later sold off all of his father's works left to him, to the
National Museum in Warsaw before
World War II. During the war he left Poland and after travels in Southern Europe and
Brazil, finally settled in
Montreal.
It is believed that the subject of numerous nude studies in Jacek Malczewski's paintings,
Maria Bal (Balowa) née Brunicka, was also his long-time lover.[9] He lost his sight towards the end of his life and died in Kraków on 8 October 1929. He was buried at
Skałka, Poland's national Panthéon.[4]
Art market
In November 2022, Malczewski's 1908
oil-on-canvas painting entitled Reality (Polish: Rzeczywistość) was sold at DESA Unicum
auction house in Warsaw for 17 million
zlotys (€3.6 million) setting a new record for the most expensive painting sold on the Polish art market.[10] The sale of the piece remains on hold after doubts were raised about the legal status of this property as the
National Museum in Warsaw claims ownership of the work of art. The painting was last seen in public in 1926 in
Lwów (now Lviv, Ukraine). Its later whereabouts were unknown. The Polish
Ministry of Culture and National Heritage reported to the police authorities that the painting could have been illegally taken from Poland in the 1950s.[11]
^
abcdefIrena Kossowska (October 2002).
"Jacek Malczewski". Symbolizm w polskim malarstwie przełomu XIX i XX wieku (in Polish). Instytut Sztuki Polskiej Akademii Nauk. Culture.pl. Archived from
the original on 16 April 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2012. Filled with erotic undertones the existentialist trend in Malczewski's art revealed his deep attachment to Polish tradition and his fascination with legend and folklore (Polish: Nasycony erotycznymi podtekstami, egzystencjalny nurt w twórczości Malczewskiego... dawał wyraz zakorzeniania artysty w rodzimej tradycji, jego fascynacji ludowymi legendami i baśniami.)
^
abcdMarcin Grota (1996).
"Malczewski's Mythology". Malczewski exhibition at the Czartoryski Museum (Warsaw Voice review). University of Buffalo. Info.Poland. Archived from
the original on 25 June 2010. Retrieved 17 October 2012. [He produced] paintings showing
Madonnas with faces and figures characteristic of the type of beauty that in Malczewski's times could be seen in the villages scattered along the
Vistula river...
^Szymalak-Bugajska, Paulina (2017).
"Jacek Malczewski – rycerz polskiej sztuki" [Jacek Malczewski - Knight of Polish Art] (in Polish). niezlasztuka.net. Retrieved 14 April 2020.