To the Heavens: First Polish Painting at London’s National Gallery
Through 22nd August 2021, eminent Polish artist Jan Matejko’s celebrated painting ‘Astronomer Copernicus', or 'Conversations with God’ is on display at the National Gallery in London. The exhibition, organised with support from the Polish Cultural Institute in London, signifies the first time a Polish painting has ever been on display at the National Gallery.
One of Poland’s most famous pieces of art, Jan Matejko’s painting depicts the image of mathematician and astronomer Mikołaj Kopernik, more well-known as Nicolaus Copernicus, on a terrace at night, surrounded by various astronomical instruments. Kneeling and gazing upwards towards the heavens, Copernicus’s expression conveys a sense of reverence and wonder, his body and work tools illuminated by a seemingly-divine light amidst an otherwise dark nightscape. By combining scientific imagery with numerous religious elements, Matejko’s piece portrays a scene many consider to represent the moment Copernicus became assured of his revelation about the universe's heliocentric nature.
The ‘National Painter’ of Poland
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Jan Matejko, photo source: National Digital Archives
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A nearly-lifelong resident of Kraków, Matejko’s legacy as one of Europe’s top 19th-century painters and the director of the Kraków School of Fine Arts (now called the Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts) has resulted in his widespread characterisation as the ‘national painter’ of Poland. Through his use (and subsequent popularisation) of the genre of ‘historical painting’, Matejko’s work showcased important events from Polish history to a large domestic and international audience.
Conversations with God is a prominent example of Matejko’s attachment to historical painting. Created in 1873 to mark the 400th anniversary of Copernicus’s birth, this work celebrates one of the world’s most notable scientific figures while calling attention to the larger impact of Polish individuals on history. The piece has been part of the painting collection at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków since 1873 and is currently on loan to the National Gallery.
In addition to this painting, the exhibition will feature a 1543-copy of Copernicus’s De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium (On the Revolution of the Heavenly Spheres), a publication which presented his groundbreaking ideas on heliocentrism.
Conversations with God: Jan Matejko’s Copernicus is located in Room 46 at the National Gallery in London and will be available to the public until 22nd August 2021.
Find out more: LINK to National Gallery exhibition information
Written by Brooke Weichel, May 2021