Wojciech Kossak, "The Battle of Grunwald", 1931, oil on canvas, photo: press materials
The exhibition "Grunwald in Art: What Comes after Matejko?" explores how the "Battle of Grunwald" has served as a key source of inspiration for artists through the ages
The main point of reference is Jan Matejko's legendary painting, whose powerful vision and emotional impact on spectators, critics and subsequent generations of artists is unsurpassed. Matejko's vision of the battle dominated the artistic vision of the event for over 130 years and held considerable sway over the universal imagination. The word "Grunwald" inevitably conjures up the image of Prince Vytautas in purple and the Grand Master's flowing cloak.
Matejko's Battle of Grunwald gained wide recognition among the audience and at the same time caused mixed feelings among art critics. Those who were his contemporaries blamed him for undue realism, excess of detail and lack of artistic restraint. Nevertheless many found it to be the painter's most powerful vision. No other work from the past, including the works of different artists, has been used by artists so often.
Stanisław Wyspiański was one of the first artists who referred directly to Matejko's Grunwald. His was a famous caricature in the form of a linear muddle. In 1931 Wojciech Kossak showed his own vision of Grunwald. In a letter to his wife he wrote "...imagine, to surpass Matejko!". Kossak received a commission to create the painting from the National Museum in Warsaw. He wanted the work to be the essence of his knowledge, his character and - as he claimed - "his wonderful talent". The oil sketch of the painting is also on view at the exhibition.
The contemporary Łódź Kaliska group adopted yet another approach. They created a pastiche version of Grunwald based on Matejko's work. Several dozen people took part in the project which produced five photographic compositions interpreting the master's work. The artists perversely claimed that "in the aspect of information our battle is no different from Matejko's work", referring to Matejko's critics at the time, such as Stanisław Witkiewicz and Stanisław Tarkowski, who accused the artist of stretching the historical truth. But Matejko, a historical painter who lived centuries after the battle, never had a chance to see the material reality, much like the artists from Łódź Kaliska.
A painting inspired by the anniversary of the great battle was also created in the studio of Edward Dwurnik. The composition lacks climax; there is no scene around which the narrative could be created. According to the artist, it looks like "a swarm of fleeing bees" from afar. Dwurnik's intention was to show that even a battle held in the name of noble ideas and lofty goals comes down to the brute elimination of the enemy. The picture shows a total, calm, systematic killing, a mutual destruction. The first showing of Dwurnik's Battle of Grunwald took place at the Museum of Warmia and Mazury on June 28 during the opening of the exhibition.
Paintings created in the 1980s during Grunwald Plen-Air Workshops form still another group of works which fit the subject perfectly. The most noteworthy works became part of the Olsztyn BWA Gallery of Contemporary Art collection and now have, after many years, finally found their own time and place. The exhibition is filled with the works of artists who acquired their position in the 1970s and 1980s: Jerzy Duda-Gracz, Paweł Lasik, Andrzej Stroka, Wiesław Szamborski and Tadeusz Burniewicz. These authors adopted a very flexible, creative approach to the subject.
At the show, Matejko's masterpiece is represented by a drawing made in 1889 in Richard Paulussen's well-known studio in Vienna, commissioned by the Society for the Encouragement of the Fine Arts in Kraków. Each year the Society makes prints of famous art works with patriotic themes to honour their most active associates.
A replica of The Battle of Grunwald painted by a German artist was lent by the Historical Museum in Troki for the exhibition. The painting does not convey the scale of Matejko's original painting, but mimics its details faithfully.
Exhibition runs between June 28 - November 30, 2010.
- Museum of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn
ul. Zamkowa 2, 10-074 Olsztyn
director: Janusz Cygański, MA
tel. (+48 89) 527 95 96
fax (+48 89) 527 20 39
www.muzeum.olsztyn.pl
Source: press materials