- Stanisław Wyspiański
Stanisław Wyspiański was born on the 15th of January 1869 and died on the 28th of November 1907 in
Kraków . He was an outstanding Polishplaywright , painter and poet, as well as interior and furnituredesigner . A patrioticwriter , he created a series of symbolic, nationaldrama s within the artistic philosophy of theYoung Poland Movement. Wyspiański was one of the most outstanding and multifaceted artists of his time inEurope . He successfully joined the trends ofmodernism with themes of the Polish folk tradition and Romantic history. Unofficially, he came to be known as the Fourth Polish Bard.Biography
Stanisław Wyspiański was born to Franciszek Wyspiański and Maria Rogowska. His father, a sculptor, owned an
atelier onWawel Hill . His mother died oftuberculosis in 1876 when Stanisław was seven years old. Due to alcohol problem, Stanisław’s father could not fulfil his parental responsibilities. Stanisław was adopted by his aunt Joanna Stankiewiczowa and her husband Kazimierz. The Stankiewicz family belonged to a bourgeois and intellectual class. In their house Wyspiański became acquainted with painterJan Matejko , who was a frequent visitor.Matejko soon recognized that the boy had artistic talent and gave him the first artistic guidance. Wyspiański attended Saint Anne’s Secondary. The school was unique for several reasons. Firstly, although Polish language was forbidden in educational institutions under foreign rule, the lectures in Saint Anne’s Gymnasium were delivered in Polish. Secondly, the teacher’s goal was to equip the students with a thorough knowledge of Polishhistory andliterature . Thirdly, the school graduates, which includedLucjan Rydel ,Stanisław Estreicher and [http://www.128.125.187.167/PMJ/issue/5.2.02/stojowskistep.html Henryk Opieński] , were considered prominent figures inKraków ’s cultural life. As a student Wyspiański did not display any specifictalent , but took particular interest inart andliterature . According to Joanna Stankiewiczowa, a young Stanisław portrayed small villagecottage s,animal s,plant s, armors anddecoration s. As far as literature was concerned, Wyspiański created a dramatic interpretation of Matejko’s painting "Stefan Batory pod Pskowem (Batory at the siege of Pskovo)".In 1887 Wyspiański enrolled in the
Philosophy Department at theJagiellonian University and theSchool of Fine Arts inKraków . While studying at the University, he attended lectures inart ,history andliterature .Jan Matejko , the dean of theSchool of Fine Arts soon recognized Wyspiański’stalent and asked him to join in thecreation of apolychrome inside the Mariacki Church.The years 1890-1895 were devoted to traveling. Wyspiański visited
Italy ,Switzerland ,Germany ,Prague andFrance . The stay inFrance was regarded to be the major point in his artistic life. He studied at the privateatelier Académie Colarossi . Since the schoolfee was very high, Wyspiański applied for a grant. During the stay inFrance he got acquainted withPaul Gauguin . Together they visitedart museum s, where Wyspiański was bewitched by the beauty of Pierre Puvis de Chavannes’s paintings. He also attended theatre performances based on Shakespeare’s and antic plays. His futuredrama s: "Daniel i Meleager (Daniel and Meleagra)" and "Powrót Odysa (Return of Odysseus)" were based on the antic tradition. Meanwhile, he worked on severaldrama s "Królowa Polskiej Korony (The Queen of Polish Crown), Warszawianka (Varsovian Anthem)" and the first version of "Legenda (Legend)". The play "Legenda (Legend)" was based on the famous Polishlegend about Wars and Sawa. In August 1894 he returned toKraków , where he got involved in the modernist movement. It was then he designed and partially made apolychrome for theFranciscan Church that was composed offlower y, geometrical and heraldic motifs. Moreover, theprior of the church encouraged Wyspiański to design various stained glass windows such as "Blessed Salomea, Saint Francis Stigmata" and "God the Father". It is worth mentioning that Wyspiański received anaward of thePolish Academy of Learning for thelandscape of the "Kopiec Kościuszki (Kościuszko Mound )".As a painter, interiordesigner andpoet he cooperated with the TownTheatre inKraków . First he designedfurniture andscenography for thetheatre performances, then he staged variousdrama s on the stage of thetheatre .In
Kraków he cooperated with theArt Society and in the mid of 1898 was nominatedart manager of the weekly "Życie (Life)".Unfortunately, his first publisheddrama s "Legenda (Legend)", (1897) and "Daniel i Meleager (Daniel and Meleagra)", (1898) did not receive acclaim of thecritic s. It was the "Warszawianka (Varsovian Anthem)" that brought instantaneous acclaim to the author. Thepremiere of thedrama marked his debut as aplaywright of national dramas. Thetheatre premiere of thedrama on 2nd July 1901 starred Helena Modrzejewska as Maria. The years 1899-1900 marked thepublication of "Protesilas i Laodamia (Protesilas and Laodamia), Lelewel (Lelevel)" and "Legion". Thisdrama is regarded to be the author’spolemic with the romantic vision ofhistory . In 1900 Wyspiański married the mother of his four children Teodora Pytko. In November of the same year he participated in thewedding of his friendLucjan Rydel inBronowice , avillage nearKraków . Thewedding party was an inspiration for his well acclaimed play "Wesele (The Wedding)". It is a deeply critical yet sarcastic expose on Polish society of 19th century. "Wesele" transformed Wyspianski from a moderately successful visual and verbal artist associated with theYoung Poland movement into a national dramatist-visionary whose significance in Poland is comparable toYeats 's in Ireland,O'Neill 's in America, orMaeterlinck 's in Belgium." [Ann Komaromi,"Wyspianski's Wesele: Poised on the Border," Theatre Journal - Volume 54, Number 2, May 2002, The Johns Hopkins University Press Theatre Journal 54.2 (2002) pp. 187-202 [http://muse.jhu.edu/login?uri=/journals/theatre_journal/v054/54.2komaromi.html] ] Thedrama made references to the current situation inPoland , and showed the picture of the powerlesssociety . Although thecensorship barred the sale of copies of "Wesele (The Wedding)", the play was staged in thetheatre .After the success of "Wesele (The Wedding)" four new plays based on Polish history were published "Wyzwolenie (Liberation), Achilles, Bolesław Śmiały (Boleslaus The Bold)" and "Legenda II (Legend 2)". Next years were devoted to
publishing of "Skałka " and "Powrót Odysa (Return of Odysseus)", meanwhile Wyspiański translated Corneillea’s "Cyd (Le Cid)" and Voltaire’s "Zaira (Zaire)".In 1906 Wyspiański became
professor of the Academy of Fine Arts inKraków , he was also a member of the City Council.In his last years Wyspianski’s health condition deteriorated, as a result, he underwent medical treatments in Rymanów andBad Hall . Then he settled in his smallcottage in avillage of Węgrzce. He died of the incurable thensyphilis . Hisfuneral took place inKraków and became a nationalmanifestation . Wyspiański was buried in theCrypt of the Distinguished in the Skałka Church.Creative output
Wyspiański’s artistic output is very eclectic. Among
drama s andpoetry , one can find there views of Cracow (drawing s, sketch-books, oil-paintings, pastel drawings),portrait s andself-portrait s, designs ofstained glass windows andpainting s,illustration s, graphic art, plans offurniture and interiors, development ofWawel .Drawing s, such as 1890self-portrait and drafts from his journeys acrossEurope andPoland , are among Wyspiański’s well-known works. He later created aherbarium by drawingplant s. He was, however, most frequently using the technique ofpastel ; his first pastel drawings were produced between 1890 and 1894. They mainly present the artist’s family, friends and other artists. Wyspiański eagerly drew his children in everyday situations such as sleeping or feeding:* "Helenka", 1900, pastel drawing, the National Museum in Cracow
* "Śpiący Staś (Sleeping Staś)", 1902, pastel drawing, theSilesian Museum in Katowice
* "Śpiący Mietek (Sleeping Mietek)", 1904, pastel drawing, the Museum of Art inŁódź
* "Macierzyństwo (The Motherhood)", 1905, pastel drawing, the National Museum in Cracow
* "Żona artysty z synkiem Stasiem (Artist’s Wife with their Son Staś)", 1904, pastel drawing, the Upper Silesian Museum inBytom Using this technique he painted many of his acquaintances and artists, among others Kazimierz Lewandowski,
Jacek Malczewski , Eliza Pareńska, the Kryształowicz family,Ludwik Solski , Irena Solska,Jan Stanisławski . He painted the landscapes ofKraków – theKraków Planty Park with desmans (also painted by means of the oil technique), the Vistula Rudawa River, cottages in Grębowo and at the end of his life views from his studio on theKościuszko Mound . He is an author of Maeterlinck’s "Wnętrze (Interior)" poster.A part of his output constitutes various designs – mainly
stained glass windows, polichromes and interiors. Stanisław Wyspiański together withJózef Mehoffer designed 36stained glass windows for the Mariacki Church inKraków to help Matejko in church conservation in which he had been taking part since 1889. During their stay inParis they both made two cartons for the competition of the Rudolfinum Hall Decoration Design inPrague and curtain designs for theJuliusz Słowacki Theatre inKraków . However, Wyspiański himself designedstained glass windows andpolychrome s for the Franciscan Church inKraków (with the famous stained glass window "Stań się"),stained glass windows depicting Saint Stanisław, Kazimierz the Great and Henryk Pobożny forWawel Cathedral (made only in 2005-2007 in the Wyspiański 2000 Pavilion), the design of a showroom of the Fine Arts Society (1904), stairs and hall decoration in Medical House Society. In 1905 Wyspiański together with Władysław Ekielski designed the conversion of theWawel Hill (the so called "Acropolis").Selected plays
* "Warszawianka (Varsovian Anthem)", (1898)
* "Wesele (The Wedding)", (1901)
* "Noc listopadowa (November Night)", (1904)
* "Acropolis" (1904)
* "Skałka" (1907)
* "Powrót Odysa (Return of Odysseus)", (1907)
* "Zygmunt August" (1907 - unfinished)
* "Legion" (1900)
* "Wyzwolenie (Liberation)", (1903)
* "Klątwa (The Curse)", (1899)
* "Protesilas i Leodamia" (1899)
* "Meleager" (1899)Streets of Kraków with Wyspiański connections
26 Krupnicza StreetWyspiański was born at 26 Krupnicza Street in
Kraków , in a house that belonged to his grandparents. He lived there until 1873.25 Kanonicza StreetIn the summer of 1873 Wyspianski’s family moved to the house of
Jan Długosz . Wyspiański’s younger brother and mother died here. In the autumn of 1880 Wyspiański moved into the house of his uncle and aunt.1 Kopernika StreetBetween 1880 and 1883 he lived in the house of the Stankiewicz family, site of the later PTTK Tourist House and the present Wyspiański Hotel.
2 Zacisze StreetHere was located the Stankiewicz family’s new apartment. It was on the second floor of the now non-extant Central Hotel at the junction of Zacisze and Basztowa streets, with a view onto the Barbakan and the
Planty Park . Because of the hotel's expansion, the Stankiewicz family was forced to move out in 1885.1 Westerplatte Street (then Kolejowa Street)In July 1895 the Stankiewicz family began living here in an apartment on the ground floor at the corner of Kolejowa and Lubicz streets. Currently in this place there are arcades and stairs to an underground passage.At the time Wyspiański had his studio in the nearby village of Grzegórzki, where he worked on
stained glass window designs for the Franciscan Church.10 Poselska StreetAfter a few months at Westerplatte Street, Wyspiański’s uncle died and Wyspiański and his aunt went to live at 10 Poselska Street in a second floor apartment.
9 Mariacki SquareIn July 1898 Wyspiański rented a room at the junction of 9 Mariacki Square and 4 Rynek Główny. In 1907 the house was taken down and replaced by an Art Nouveau tenement block. The flat was used as a studio, Wyspiański at the time was registered at 23 Szlak Street in the house of his future wife, Teofilia Pytko.
79 Krowoderska StreetIn 1901 Stanisław Wyspiański received an award from the
Academy of Learning for hisstained glass windows for the royal castle atWawel . Thanks to this, he was able to rent a seven-room apartment in a tenement house on the second floor at the corner of Juliusza Słowackiego Avenue (which still exists). He lived here with his family and had his studio here as well. Allegedly there was a sign on the door which stated: "Here lives Stanisław Wyspiański and he does not want to be visited".Węgrzce near Krakowska StreetAfter another prize for landscapes depicting the
Kościuszko Mound awarded by theAcademy of Learning , Wyspiański moved to his own house on 5 Węgrzce Street. The house is now demolished has been replaced by another private residence. There is a stone at the site with a commemorative plaque erected on the 100th anniversary of the artist’s birth.1 Siemiradzkiego StreetThe hospital in which Wyspiański died on November 28, 1907, no longer exists. It was situated on the corner of Siemiradzkiego and Łobzowska streets.
Museums and Monuments
In the Szołayski tenement house in
Kraków there is a Stanisław Wyspiański Museum, a department of the National Museum. At Wszystkich Świętych Square the Wyspiański 2000 Information Exhibition Pavilion was erected, in which there are three Wyspiański’sstained glass windows.In front of the new National Museum building in
Kraków at 3-go Maja Street there is a monument to Stanisław Wyspiański.The year 2007 was named "the Year of Stanisław Wyspiański" by the Polish Sejm.
Footnote
Bibliography
*Zimmer, Szczepan K. (1959) "Stanisław Wyspiański, Biographical Sketch," translated by Helena Maria Zimmer
*Brodnicki, W. (1970) "Między niebem a piekłem". Łódź: Wydawnictwo Łódzkie.
*Kępiński, Z. (1984) "Stanisław Wyspiański". Warsaw: Literatura.
*Skoczylas, L. (1972) "Stanisław Wyspiański - życie i twórczość". Cracow: Książnica Powszechna.
*Polish Wikipedia Stanisław Wyspiańskiee also
*
Young Poland
*List of Polish painters
*List of Polish language poets
*List of Polish language authors
*National Museum, Kraków External links
* [http://stanislawwyspianski.pl/ Stanisław Wyspiański - polski Leonardo da Vinci ]
* [http://www.culture.pl/en/culture/artykuly/os_wyspianski_stanislaw Biography from the Adam Mickiewicz Institute ]
* [http://www.filg.uj.edu.pl/~wwalecki/collegium.php?seria=42&pozycja=77&wersja=en First review of "Wesele" ("The Wedding Reception")]
* [http://www.muzeum.krakow.pl/Exhibition.260.0.html?&L=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=368&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=236&cHash=05eb282e51 Wyspiański’s Herbal]
* [http://artyzm.com/e_artysta.php?id=688 Wyspiański’s paintings]
* [http://www.pinakoteka.zascianek.pl/Wyspianski/Wysp_Witraze.htm Wyspiański stained-glasses]
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