Obrazy Szymona Czechowicza i malarza z kręgu jego warsztatu w Czerwińsku. Fundacje opata Mateusza Kraszewskiego
Paintings by Szymon Czechowicz and by a Painter from His Studio in Czerwińsk: Abbot Mateusz Kraszewski’s Foundations

Summary/Abstract: Paintings by Szymon Czechowicz and by a Painter from His Studio in Czerwińsk: Abbot Mateusz Kraszewski’s Foundations Previously unknown works by Szymon Czechowicz and by his studio provided for the Abbey Church of the Canons Regular in Czerwińsk are presented. They are mainly paintings for side altars as well as portraits. It has to be noted that no archival records related to Czechowicz’ s works for Czerwińsk have been preserved. The proposed attribution of the paintings to Szymon Czechowisz or some relation with his studio presented by the Author are based on formal and comparative analyses. Following the Baroquization of the Czerwińsk Church of the Canons Regular, implemented under Abbot Mikołaj Szyszkowski (1622-34), the church featured eight side altars: two in the chapels closing the aisles from the east, of which the northern one was dedicated to St Augustine, while the southern one to Christ Crucified (Fig. 2); with the remaining altars located by the piers where they have remained till this very day (Fig. 1). After the mid -18th c. the altars were renovated at the instigation of Abbot Mateusz Kraszewski (1759-67). He was also the one to commission a set of paintings for the Czerwińsk church featuring saints (placed in side altars) and figures related to the history of the church and the Abbey, as well as his own portrait. It is highly likely that the paintings for the newly-raised side altars as well as the three portraits were commissioned by Abbot Mateusz Kraszewski from Szymon Czechowicz’s studio: three were executed by the painter himself, while the remaining ones by a painter from his studio. The following works are attributed to Czechowicz by the Author: Christ Crucified (Fig. 3), St Augustine ( Fig. 4), as well as the imaginary portrait of Piotr Włast Dunin (Fig. 5). They stand out with a high artistic quality and features typical of the painter’s style: a perfect composition modelled on Italian masters; a splendid anatomic modelling; theatre-like poses of the figures, sometimes referred to as rhetoric dramaturgy; all these strengthening the impression of splendour so characteristic of Czechowicz’s compositions; a formal quality of the portrait which is highly ornamental in combination with the elements of the conventions of the Polish Sarmatian portrait; meticulously selected accessories; a faithfully rendered clothing texture; an impressively composed setting. The paintings must have been created prior to Czechowicz’s departure for Podhorce, namely in 1760-62. After Szymon Czechowicz had left Warsaw in 1762, the remaining paintings commissioned by Abbot Kraszewski were executed by a painter who came from Czechowicz’s studio. He is attributed the following works by the Author: St Joseph with the Child (Fig. 6), St Ubald of Gubbio (Fig. 7), St John of Nepomuk (Fig. 8), the effigy of Bishop Alexander of Malonne (Fig. 9), as well as the Portrait of Abbot Mateusz Kraszewski (Fig. 10). The peculiar face modelling as well as that of the body and heads of the winged angels allow to attribute these compositions to one painter. However, the anatomical and drawing imperfections, the rigid modelling of robes and draperies, as well as the domination of a dark, subdued colour range, allow to judge that the painter trained in Czechowicz’s workshop had not mastered the highest possible skills.

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