- Franciszek Smuglewicz
Franciszek Smuglewicz ( _lt. Pranciškus Smuglevičius) (1745-1807) was a Polish draughtsman and painter. Brother of Antoni, he is considered the first Polish historical painter and, to certain extent, a spiritual father of
Jan Matejko 's school.Smuglewicz was born October 6, 1745 in
Warsaw , Poland. In 1763 he moved to Rome, where he started studies of fine arts under tutorship ofAnton von Maron . In 1765 he received a royalscholarship of kingStanisław August Poniatowski and was admitted to theSaint Lucas Academy . As a collaborator ofVincenzo Brenna he has participated in inventarisation ofNero `s "Domus Aurea ". In 1784 he returned to his native Warsaw, where he founded his own school of fine arts, one of the predecessors of the modern Academy of Fine Arts.A classicist, but under strong influence of the
Polish baroque , Smuglewicz became the first Polish representative of historical painting, a notion that dominated the fine arts of Poland throughout the 19th century. Around 1790 he started working on a series of sketches and lithographies inspired byAdam Naruszewicz 's "History of the Polish Nation". Although never finished, the seried gained him much popularity.In 1797 he moved to
Vilnius , where he became the founder and the first deacon of the Institute of Sketch and Painting at theAcademy of Vilna . A tutor of several generations of Polish-Lithuanian painters, Smuglewicz devoted himself to historical painting in the latter years of his life. Among the notable surviving works of that period are "A Meeting of theFour Years' Sejm " (1793) and "Kościuszko's Oath at Kraków's Old Town Market" (1797). He also painted a series of depictions of contemporary views of the city. Among his works of the period are priceless views of the city walls and city gates, demolished in 19th century. His works have profound importance for the ongoing reconstruction of theRoyal Palace of Lithuania , as being the only reliable source to meticulously present their authentic features.He died September 18, 1807 and was buried at the
Rasos Cemetery , although his grave remains unknown.
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