Baroque in Poland

Polish baroque lasted from the late 16th century to the middle of the 18th century. As with the baroque style elsewhere in Europe, the Polish baroque stressed the richness of the contemporary art forms. In contrast to the previous Renaissance style, which attempted to show the beauty and harmony of nature, baroque artists strived to create their own visions of the world. The result was mixed, called grand and dramatic, but also exuberant and disharmonious, tinged with affectation and religious exaltation, reflecting the turbulent times of 17th century Europe.

Polish baroque coexisted with Sarmatism, a cultural trend which gained popularity among the nobility (szlachta). Sarmatism merged Oriental influences into Polish traditions, and stemmed from frequent Ottoman Empire's influences and invasions. It praised the idyllic countryside existence and the semi-republican (Golden Freedom) values of the nobility, who praised their liberal political system and criticized the absolute power of the monarchy. Sarmatism stressed the religious dedication and military prowess as common attributes of the nobility. Sarmatian nobles felt superior to even the nobility of the other nations, whom they considered non-free and almost enslaved by their rulers (in Poland, the king was but an 'equal among equals'). They also believed in a historical mission of the Polish people as a 'bastion of Christianity'. However in time, the Sarmatism ideals became corrupted, and by the time of 18th century Enlightenment in Poland, Sarmatism was often regarded as a backward and ultraconservative relic of the past, an opposite of progress, leading the country to its downfall.

In material culture Sarmatism became highly influenced by the baroque style and produced an original merger of Western and Eastern styles. Oriental influence was especially evident in dress, arms, and decorations. Polish attire was influenced by Ottoman Empire dress, which spread from nobility to city dwellers and even peasants. A wealthy Polish nobleman wore a long coat lined with cloth of gold (żupan, delia, kontusz), a silk sash belt ("pas kontuszowy") and soft leather knee-boots of Eastern origin. During the 17th century shaving one's head in the Tatar fashion became quite popular among the nobility. The Polish cavalry rode Arabian horses and adopted many Eastern weapons, most notably the "szabla", a cross between saber and scimitar, with a curved blade and richly decorated handle modelled on a Persian scimitar. Ottoman daggers, luxurious sheaths, carpets, helmets and saddles were also common: what was not acquired from trade came as loot from many military conflicts along the Commonwealth southern border. The manor ("dworek") of the Polish nobleman was decorated with war trophies: Ottoman weapons, Persian rugs, Turkish kilims, tapestries, and silk embroideries studded with jewels. Few luxury items were of domestic produce: most were imported from the West via Danzig (Gdańsk) or from the East. In everyday life, the Polish noble enjoyed color, opulence and festivity. He observed with pomp religious holidays, ceremonies and rituals, such as the day of the patron saint, weddings and funerals. A distinctive art of coffin portraits emerged during that period.

Roman Catholic Church became one of the major patrons of the arts; another was the royal house, whose patronage was most visible in Warsaw, the capital. There the pious Catholic king Sigismund III Vasa sponsored many Baroque sacral constructions. In its first phase, ecclesiastical Baroque architecture was mainly associated with the Jesuit Order, who arrived in Poland in 1564, spearheading the counter-reformation movement, which over the next century would triumph in Poland. The Jesuits established churches and schools in many major cities, competing successfully with the best Protestant educational centers in Thorn (Toruń), Danzig and Elbing (Elbląg), and with Comenius school of the Bohemian Brothers in Leszno. The eventual victory of the counter-reformation in Poland would eventually be one of the reasons that would contribute to its cultural stagnation [http://books.google.com/books?ie=UTF-8&vid=ISBN0415161126&id=U39AYJm1L94C&pg=PA153&lpg=PA153&dq=1772+Krakow+exile&sig=DwbS8Ipu_9v0oG45AIxPTuHsJgI] .

Early Polish baroque buildings were often designed by foreign (most often, Italian) architects. The first baroque structure in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was the Corpus Christi Church in Nieśwież (now in Belarus). The first baroque building in present-day Poland was the Church of St. Peter and Paul in Cracow by Giovanni Battista Trevano.

Secular baroque architecture also grew. The King's residence, Warsaw Castle was reconstructed between 1596 and 1619 by the Italian architects Giacomo Rotondo, Matteo Castelli and Jan Trevano. In the square outside the Castle, a column of red marble with the Statue of King Zygmunt, sculpted by Clemente Molli and cast by Daniel Tym was raised by his son, Władysław IV Waza, in 1644. Park Ujazdowski with a new palace was built by Trevano between 1619 and 1625. The palace of Ujazdów served as a model for magnates willing to imitate the new style, such as the Kruszyna (1630, built for Voivode Kasper Doenhoff), Łańcut (1629-1641, rebuilt for Stanisław Lubomirski [http://www.zamek-lancut.pl/en/History] ), Wiśnicz (1616-1621, also for Stanisław Lubomirski), Ujazd (Krzyżtopór built in 1628-1644 for Krzysztof Ossoliński) palaces and castles. The most representative and sumptuous royal Baroque residence was erected by King John III Sobieski between 1677 and 1696: the Wilanów Palace.

Gallery

References

* Michael J. Mikoś, "Polish Baroque and Enlightenment Literature: An Anthology". Ed. Michael J. Mikoś. Columbus, Ohio/Bloomington, Indiana: Slavica Publishers. 1996. 104-108. ISBN 0-89357-266-7 (contains short bio and "Satire III: On Burdens and Oppressions of Peasants in Poland.") [http://staropolska.gimnazjum.com.pl/ang/baroque/Mikos_baroque/index.html first chapters online]