Profetyczne przesłanie obrazu Jana Matejki Konstytucja 3 Maja
Prophetic message of Jan Matejko’s painting The Constitution of 3rd May

Summary/Abstract: The article recalls the history of the last large-format painting of Jan Matejko, The Constitution of 3rd May, which nowadays decorates the apartments of the Royal Castle in Warsaw on the background of Matejko’s statements, his point of views and the realia of political life at the end of the 19th century, taking into account the international situation and the significant changes taking place at that time, predicting the First World War. The article reveals Matejko’s message hidden in the works of art treated so far, in first place, as an occasional painting. The figure of the redemptorist – Klemens Maria Hofbauer, inserted by the painter on the canvas, turns out to be an interpreter of the past events and predicting the future rebirth of Poland. His placement was carefully studied by Matejko. The article presents two research hypothesis about the role of the Saint on the painting, operating in historiography. The article is a sort of polemics with them.

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