Even though Piotrowski's works did not win any awards on the Dutch exhibition, they were distinguished by the way he presented the concept of sport and therefore gained the appreciation of critics. Both paintings were inspired by sports photography and are an important testimony to the changes that occurred in terms of depicting human body using new photographic experiments. From today's point of view they can be also considered significant examples of how the image of sportspeople was shaped in early Polish popular culture, transforming the athletes into icons. The sportspeople painted by Piotrowski were the winners of the magazine's Przegląd Sportowy (Sports Review's) vote for the most famous Polish athletes and for whom the highest hopes for the first Olympic gold medal were held. Moreover, for the authorities of the Second Polish Republic both paintings served as means of promoting athletics as the most important discipline in the independent country, justifiably bearing the name of the 'Queen of Sports'. This propaganda supported by specialised sports magazines including the very popular pictorial weekly Stadion (Stadium) leaned on a conviction that the international achievements of Polish athletes were actually the reflection of the nation's lustiness.
Stefan Kostrzewski's On a Hurdle
The painting entitled On a Hurdle earned a distinction at the Sports Exhibition opened in Warsaw in the end of March 1928. The display's aim was to choose Polish works of visual arts for the Olympic Contest in Amsterdam, whose rules stated that it was supposed to be the exposition of the best Polish works based on sports motifs, presenting, in particular, a harmonically developed human body. That was in the early 1920s, when discussions and debates about presenting modern sport in art started in Poland. How to capture the charm of a sport's competition, the poetics of movements or the beauty of a sportsperson's perfect body? Should we draw inspiration from the ancient art of Myron and Polykleitos or rather follow the new tendencies and explore dynamics with the use of new means of expression?
Piotrowski's painting evinced an artistic search, influenced by sports photography. The belief that influenced Piotrowski's composition the most was that shots taken from a variety of perspectives – from above and underneath, from a side, straight-ahead or from different angles – would present the sportsperson's moves best. In the end, Piotrowski decided to use a well-known press photo of a particular competitor. On a Hurdle was based on a photo of Kostrzewski taken by a Warsaw sports photographer Jan Ryś, reproduced on the cover of Stadion (Stadium) magazine on the 30th August 1927. Ryś's works were praised for conveying both the precise moment of movement and accurate depiction of the sportspeople's psyche. They were also exhibited on the expositions of artistic photography in Warsaw. The photo of Kostrzewski depicts him while jumping in a full run. In the frame, he is above the ground, levitating, and the view of his taut muscles corresponds to the anatomy of a perfect male body.
The inspiration Piotrowski drew from press photography was a testimony of the way in which new media were transforming art and traditional painterly composition. Wacław Husarski, a critic for Tygodnik Ilustrowany, wrote that Piotrowski presented 'a strange combination of a photo-like drawing and impressionistic colouring'. On a Hurdle was indeed full of coloristic impressions, unlike the black-and-white photo from the magazine. The artist brought out the white and red colors on the athlete's kit, which may suggest that he wanted to picture the optimism surrounding Kostrzewski's participation in the Olympics in Amsterdam. Instead of the rounded running track and forestal surroundings, Piotrowski showed the impressions of bright colors increasing the run's dynamics. Both the change of the background and the runner's motor activity analysis visible on the canvas, combined with the dynamic view of the running track itself, modified and enriched the photo. Transferring it to the canvas with dimensions of 1.2 m x 1 m made Kostrzewski's figure even more majestic. It may seem as if Kostrzewski, running in front of the viewer, may jump out of the canvas in a second. The painting influences the viewer, who looks at it not from the perspective of a fan in the stands but rather from the level of the running track, which not only puts them in the middle of the athletic show, but also makes them a part of the event.
Portrait of Halina Konopacka
Since Kostrzewski lost in the semifinals of the 400 m hurdles, Halina Konopacka – presented on Piotrowski's second painting, turned out to be the first Polish gold Olympic medalist. This sketch deserves attention primarily due to the fact that till the end of the 1920s female athletics barely appeared in art. Created before the Olympics success, Portrait of Halina Konopacka turned out to be one of the first (if not the first) Polish works of art in the field of female athletics.
It should be remembered that the first competition in female athletics took place only in 1928, during the 9th Olympic Games in Amsterdam, because the International Olympic Committee did not allow women to participate in the first eight editions. Konopacka won her previous medals in the Women's World Games. On its second edition in Gothenburg in 1926, she won the gold medal in discus throw and the bronze medal in shot put – which was presented on Piotrowski's sketch. It seems that in this case, the artist was again inspired by the photos published in the Stadion (Stadium) magazine. However, this was not the exact projection of her moves as it happened in terms of On a Hurdle. The Polish athlete was captured as a lady wearing a fashionable outfit, whereas the shot put itself made an impression of a very feminine discipline. The action of her throwing is also shown. As the act of shot putting is adorned, Konopacka's movements seem to resemble a ballet. Even her shoes look like ballet shoes, which makes her appear as if she was dancing rather than making huge effort throwing a discus, which cannot be seen on the sketch.
In a journalists' vote Konopacka became commonly known as the most beautiful sportswoman of the tournament and 'Miss Olympic Games' in Amsterdam. Her world record in discus was believed to be one of the Poland's biggest achievements internationally. Stadion (Stadium) expressed their praise for her success with the words:
'Poland is not yet lost' was heard for the first time on the world's biggest sports arena. … Halina Konopacka did contribute, on 31st of July, to glory of the Polish name, more than those who treat sport as a game for mentally retarded youth [sic!] – for all their lives. … Sport is not just a win-lose race. It is a fight for the nation's health and lustiness in the first place.
Reporting on the Polish athlete's achievement as a success of the whole country thrilled various cultural circles in Poland, which made her a true celebrity. Tired of all of this, Konopacka commented on that phenomenon in Stadion (Stadium) magazine when she got back from the Olympic Games:
From morning to night I am harassed by reporters, photographers and painters of all kind. … I can’t show up on a field or court, or even in a cafe or theatre if I want to avoid any congratulations. … Let me rest. Leave me alone.
Piotrowski's sketch, created before the Olympic Games took place, pointed out the importance of women in the sports life of the Second Polish Republic. Along with On a Hurdle they served as a base for the common beliefs that in the 1920s both male and female athletics created the image of fit, strong, and victorious Polish society. Transferring their achievements to art underscored the sublimity of the successes in sport through presenting them in museums or galleries. Piotrowski's works, at the same time, emphasised the important cultural role that artists played in the Polish sporting propaganda and how sportspeople were turned into icons of popular culture.
Author: Przemysław Strożek, June 2018 (Translated by: Karolina Mroczkowska, June 2018)