Hutsul photography from the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, photo: press material
Several hundred works showcase the wealth of the Polish Huculszczyzna tradition in pastels, sketches and graphics by talented Highlander artists from the Hutsul region in western Ukraine, along with a selection of varied crafts, pottery, woodcarvings and embroidery
We don't know very much about Hutsul culture, even today. On the Highland aims to recall the people and art of the region, their culture and their traditions. The show takes its cue from Stanisław Vincenz, who grew up in the Hutsul culture, described it and uncovered the dormant traces of a bygone lifestyle.
Even now, the words "Hutsel" and "the Hutsul region" have an exotic ring to them, more so for those who discovered the charm of region and people alike and described the customs they found there among the Highlanders in the early 19th century. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the region saw an intensification of visitors for art's cause, visitors which bore much fruit, including superb pastels by
Leon Wyczółkowski, who spent the summer of 1910 in the town of Jaremcze, the sketches and paintings of Teodor Axentowicz, who observed the Hutsuls' dances, rituals and ceremonies, and drawings by Edmund Bartłomiejczyk,
Władysław Skoczylas, Gabriela Rużycka, Józefa Kratochwilowa-Widymska and
Stanisław Witkiewicz.
Some of the artists are from the region and, though educated abroad in Vienna, Krakow and Munich, returned to their native land, while three of them, Fryderyk Pautsch, Kazimierz Sichulski and Kazimierz Jarocki, were known as "the Hutsulians" on account of their fascination with the region. The exhibition presents their portrayals of Hutsul men and women, as well as their native art and crafts. Glazed jugs, plates and bowls and the tiles of stoves, decorated with genre scenes are among the Highlander treasures. Aleksander Bachmiński, a true master in the field and the most renowned of Hutsul potters, drew the attention of Emperor Franz Joseph at the Kołomyja Ethnographic Exhibition in 1880.
Also on display are examples of the woodcarver's art, beautifully decorated walking sticks, hatchets, candlesticks, hand-held and processional crosses, and sets of desk accessories, as well as the tables, chairs, sideboards and cupboards which very often have ended up in the villas of adherents to the Young Poland movement and were shown in exhibitions held in Poland and abroad. There is no lack of fabrics either; kilim rugs, tablecloths, other traditional decorative carpets, rugs and throws, and embroidered blouses, shirts and shawls are all part of the exhibition, as is metalwork, in forms such as buckles and crosses, large, small and designed for wearing around the neck. The Hutsuls were masters when it came to creating functional items from all materials.
The exhibition is divided into sections devoted to a number of themes, including the fascination with Hutsul music, Hutsul rituals, the tough Hutsul ponies and traditional Hutsul dress. It provides an opportunity to recall Stanisław Vincenz, humanist and prosaist, known as the Homer of the Hutsul Region.
The exhibition opens on March 17, coinciding with the inauguration of the Hutsul Festival. It runs until May 29, 2011.
Exhibition curator: Mirosław Kruk
Coordinator: Izabela Wałek
National Museum in Kraków
al. 3 Maja 1, 30-062 Kraków
Director: mgr Zofia Gołubiew
tel. (+48 12) 295 56 00, 295 55 00
fax (+48 12) 295 55 55
link*www.muzeum.krakow.pl*http://www.muzeum.krakow.pl****Source: press release