Odcienie mistrzostwa. Kolorystyczny warsztat Jana Matejki. Część I: lata 1852–1869
THE SHADES OF MASTERY. JAN MATEJKO’S CHROMATIC TECHNIQUE. PART I: THE YEARS 1852–1869

Summary/Abstract: Jan Matejko, the famous Polish academic painter, is analysed as an illustrator of history, in thecontext of complex iconography and narrative content and significance of his art for promotingPolish history in order to inspire the national spirit. Purely formal interpretation of his rich artisticoeuvre is disregarded. The article follows his painting methods, evolving way of the use of colour,implementation of a differing palette of individual pigments and technique used for subsequentstyles of expression in different periods of Matejko’s artistic life. It covers the early period of education,continued in the Academy in Munich in 1858-9. Next, it follows the dark period of narrowly-tuned colour of the 1860s and the time of more intensive colour in 1870s and early 1880s.Early 1880s are the time of balanced mature executions to be soon followed by slightly decadentpaintings of the late 1880s and early 1890s, less pure with regard to colour. The significance ofbrown underpainting is analysed throughout each period as well as the growing importance ofcontour. The study also addresses Matejko’s increasingly free handling of paint, including theuse of impasto, and richly textured canvas to vibrate colour applied in little patches of semidriedor butter like consistence bulky paint. The role of sketches is also discussed. The conclusionpoints to Matejko’s deep understanding and awareness of colour but also deep correlation to theacademic way of painting which was propelled by the artist’s personal experiences and paintingexperiments showing the underestimated meaning of colour and technique for his art.

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