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This article deals with the research activity of Józef Sandel (1894-1962), a historian of the art of Polish Jews, who studied that art over the first dozen or so years after World War II and analysed it from the point of view of its ideological message. While focusing on the life of Polish artists of Jewish origin (and Jewish artists in general, who were connected to Polish lands), he first of all tried to emphasize the Jewish contribution to the history of Polish art. Looking at it in perspective, with the Holocaust over, he proceeded from the assumption that the art of Polish Jews can be viewed as a historical phenomenon in its own right, for which the watershed was the Holocaust, affecting both the artists and the works created by the generations which preceded it. In this particular instance, the goal of research activity in the field of history of art was to spread the word about (what he considered as) the immortal legacy, which should be interesting to the Jews themselves and the Poles alike. With regard to the former, what he wanted in the first place was to ensure that artistic creation be recognized as an integral element of the culture of the Jewish people. This was to be served by a peculiar interpretation of that culture, emphasizing the close bond between form and content, which were supposed to constitute jointly an articulation of Jewishness (an ethnicity which traditionally also denoted social condition). At the same time, with regard to both the former and the latter, what Sandel sought was the appreciation of the art of Polish Jews in socialist Poland. He wanted to achieve it by pointing to its leftist nature and consequently its contribution to the promotion of the “progressive” ideology in the culture of Polish lands.
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Juozas Balčikonis (1924–2010), one of the patriarchs of Lithuanian Textile School, was born in Giedraitinė, Ramygala district, Panevežys region. He graduated from Ramygala Secondary School. During his study at Kaunas Applied and Decorative Arts Institute, he was greatly influenced by L. Truikis. Balčikonis was passionately interested in the Lithuanian folk art as well as in Oriental art and collected their samples. Since 1949, he was a teacher in Kaunas Applied and Decorative Arts Institute. From 1951 till 1989, heheaded the Textile Department at the Lithuanian Art Institute. Balčikonis authored „Folk art. Fabrics“(I dated 1957, II dated 1962), „Tissue Patterns“ (1961), „Tape“ (1969), „National Clothing“ (1970) andother books. Since 1947, he participated in many exhibitions in Lithuania and in various countries of Europe, Asia, America, and Africa. Almost all the most significant pedagogical, organizational and creative events in the 20th century Lithuanian textile art were related with him. He contributed a lot to formation and development of the Lithuanian National Textile School. The main areas of his creative activity were tapestries, woolen carpets, batik technique pieces, decorative fabrics, mixed technical compositions, national costumes. In 1955 and 1960, he designed folk costumes for the „Song Festival“. Balčikonis received the State Award and was decorated by the Medal of the Lithuanian Army Creator and Volunteer (2000) and the Order of Grand Duke Gediminas (2001).
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Ardent supporter of the union of the Eastern and Western Christian Churches, as well as of organizing a crusade − under the leadership of the Pope − for the reconquest of Constantinople (the “Second Rome”), the renowned Greek scholar and founder of the Marciana Library in Venice, Cardinal Basilios (“Johannes”) Bessarion (Trebizond, 1403 − Ravenna, 1472) became a symbol of the Roman Catholic Church; among his contemporaries, his name was better known as that of the Pope’s. Iconographic features, that used to be traditionally represented, started being rendered by great artists of the Italian Renaissance (Piero della Francesca, Justus van Gent, Vittore Carpaccio, Carlo Crivelli and others) through the particular physiognomy of Cardinal Basilios Bessarion. These were the representations of saints such as John the Baptist, Jerome and Augustine). The unmistakable portrait of Cardinal Bessarion can be recognized in the representation of Saint Paul, on the dorsal cross of a Venetian chasuble of the late 15 century belonging to the Saint Virgin Mary parish church in Sibiu (currently the Lutheran church in Sibiu). This paper attempts to unravel the meaning of the iconographic composition of the precious embroideries of the chasuble,and how this liturgical vestment and the two dalmatics from the same ensemble could have entered into the possession of the church.
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Dobruja, one of the provinces of Romania, is a good example of multi-ethnic cohabitation. For hundreds of years, it has been the home of peoples which, through their culture, way of life, and tolerance, have yielded the current configuration of the region’s profile.In Turkish families from Dobrogea, particularly those in rural areas, changes have occurred as to the strictness of the life norms observed and passed on along the centuries. Nowadays traditions and mindsets from patriarchal times coexist with more recent, modern ones. The research strategy I opted for in order to complete my enterprise was the directive interview correlated with the audio recording method. The analysis of the lullaby “Dandini, dandini dastana” from the folklore of the Turks of Dobrogea has revealed that it belongs to the old stratum of traditional creations.
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Aim. The aim of the research is to show the applications of art reception in computer games. Moreover it is important to show a game as a visual object worth being analysed by art historian, because of complex structure and relations with traditional artistic media like architecture and painting. Many disciplines, such as ludology, narratology and culture study research computer games, but we can see a large lack in the state of research in visual aspects of games, which should be supplemented.Methods. The subject of study are five games belonging to different game genres. The first, Assasin’s Creed II is set in a historical context, the next Witcher III and Dark Souls embedded in the realities of fantasy and finally, two games in an independent games category. The basic method is iconographic identification of the object and comparative difference and similarity between original source of inspiration and transposition of this in computer media. Therefore basic tools gained from history of art are used, which are necessary for visual analysis of a piece of art. A notion of commonplace forming a frame for images from different media is also important.Results. Indicated examples show that classic art has a strong influence on numerous computer games. The citations and allusions from art bring an additional narration completing the story in the game. Objects of architecture or paintings also give symbolic meanings, influencing the interpretation of the whole game. Game developers oscillate between education in the history of art and the use of these references to create your own world.Conclusion. The examples presented in the article are only part of the rich area of art inspirations that can be found in many games. This should become a contribution to further research, not only taking into account the indicated types of references, but also the visuality of the games themselves. The visual complexity of the games would require separate, more extensive research that would bring a lot into the perception of games and researching them.
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When we look at art history; In mythology Venus, the goddess of love and beauty, has maintained its importance as it existed from the first ages until today. Venus was first depicted as the god of fertility, but was later depicted as the goddess of beauty. It has been the representation of the ideal beauty revealed by many philosophers and philosophers, and has been explored through different perspectives in different ways by many artists. An important mythological character, Venus continues to exist in contemporary art. In this study, the way the Venus image was handled by the artists was examined.
More...Антонин Странски – забравеният историк на изкуството
PhD Antonín Jiří Stránský (1896–1945), historien de l’art tchèque, est aujourd’hui presque complètement oublié. Peu connus dans la science, sa vie et son travail peuvent être reconstruits à la base des archives à Prague, de sa documentation conservée sous le nom de Collection Stránský (Zbirka Stranski) au Musée national de Belgrade, ainsi que de nombreux articles scientifiques, spécialisés et éducatifs qu’il publia dans diverses revues, magazines et quotidiens. Le domaine principal de son intérêt était l’art médiéval des peuples balkaniques.
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Impressionism is considered as the beginning of modern art. Impressionism had redesigned the whole art of painting. The innovations brought by Impressionist art had performed exchange on almost every field; from point of view of the artists, to the subjects they chose, and the way they process the subjects. These changes opened the way for new breaks in the history of art and deserved the title of the pioneer of modern art. It is necessary to look at the innovations brought about by art of impressionism. These innovations can be listed as follows: Instead of noble subjects, ordinary subjects were chosen, light was scientifically examined, colors were given side by side, and workshops were preferred instead of open air. To seize the moment fast works were provided therefore canvas sizes were kept small. Instead of a linear perspective, the air perspective with colors was preferred. Impressionism is the cafes, rivers, railway stations, streets and all other public spaces that urbanization offers to the community. In portraits, the subjects are ordinary people. All impressionist issues are up to date. For this reason, impressionism is the most important stage of modern art by destroying the classical academic tradition.
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In the last years of the reign of Victor Amadeus II (1675–1730) the Savoy court experienced the decline of public dining of the ruler. From the 1720s the Savoy rulers predominantly dined in private, en famille, at most in the presence of ladies-in-waiting and the serving staff. Through the course of the 18th century, as the Versaille etiquette was getting more and more criticised, the Savoy court with its own customs became the platform for frequent confrontations. Frenchmen based in Turin, such as Pierre-Jean Grosley (1718–1785) and Charles Pinot Duclos (1704–1772), as well as Luigi Antonio Caraccioli (1721–1803), a Neapolitan settled in France, compared both courts, the Bourbon and the Savoy ones, expressing consistent preference for the latter. They linked the welcomed changes to the more modest and less formalised etiquette at the Savoy court as compared to the French one, which also resulted in measurable benefits, namely lesser expenses of running of the court.
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The article is concerned with the coronation dress of Poland’s last king Stanisław August Poniatowski depicted in his official portraits: the one painted by Christoph Joseph Werner soon after the ceremony in 1764 and especially the splendid portrait en habit de couronment which the King commissioned from Marcello Bacciarelli for the Marble Room of the Royal Castle in Warsaw (1767–1771). Both portraits show the newly crowned king not in the white pontifical robes he donned during the sacred act of coronation but in the clothes he changed into afterwards and wore during the following public celebration. Rather than selecting the Polish national costume, which would be regarded as appropriate and was expected of him, he chose the white satin suit trimmed with gold laces. In contemporary sources this costume was referred to as Spanish but so far it has remained a mystery what the word ‘Spanish’ really meant in this context and consequently what were the King’s reasons and motivations for selecting this attire. By pointing to analogies in Western painting and surviving garments in museum collections and by analysing contemporary witness accounts, the author identifies the king’s garb as a Vandyke costume, the type of historical fancy dress which had originated in England and was also popular in France where it was often worn with a ruff and called Spanish.’ It is also argued that this costume was selected by the King, quite extravagantly, considering the occasion, for related aesthetic, ideological-cum-political, and personal reasons. It looked up to the tradition of Rubens and Van Dyke, whose art the King knew and admired. The monarch’s personal contacts with Madame Geoffrin, the famous Parisian hostess who had played an instrumental role in promoting the ‘Spanish’ costume on the French art scene, likely influenced his choice. The plumed hat with the characteristic black and white feathers, which is not featured in the above mentioned portraits but appears in a later portrait by Bacciarelli, was part of the original coronation dress providing a specific and meaningful reference to Henry IV, King of France, whom Stanisław August admired and tried to emulate as the paramount of regal virtues and the model of enlightened and tolerant ruler. Cosmopolitan, rooted in Western artistic and courtly tradition, the King’s coronation dress presented a deliberate departure from the Polish national costume, which he was expected to adopt but refused to and the traditional values it represented. On a personal and psychological level, handsome and rather proud of his appearance, Stanisław August was reportedly very well aware of the costume showing off his assets splendidly. He regarded Bacciarelli’s painting depicting him in this picturesque garb as his most faithful portrait. The King’s behavior while parading in the Spanish dress on the streets of Warsaw, especially the theatrical manner of presentation and exaggerated courtesy towards ladies, recalled the spirit of courtly fêtes galantes of which similar costumes were characteristic. It seems that the Vandyke costume (or costume à la Henri IV) made its first public appearance in Poland at a very special historical moment and in quite unusual circumstances, an eloquent sign of the newly crowned King’s willingness to break off from tradition and, presumably, reform the state as King Henry IV had done. This kind of fancy dress would subsequently be adopted at the court, particularly by the ladies of artistic taste who sympathized with the King’s policies. The author identifies a number of male and female portraits showing variations of this costume, which would retain its relevance throughout the reign of Stanisław August. The theme would conclude, poignantly and melancholically, with his portrait in the costume of Henry IV painted by Élisabeth-Louise Vigée Le Brun in St Petersburg in 1797, already after the abdication of Stanisław August and shortly before his death in exile.
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Andrzej Kownacki undoubtedly enriched gunsmithery and the development of the industrial production of guns in Poland. His life could be divided into several periods. The first was learning the trade in leading centres abroad, next was independent gunsmithery practice in Paris working for French governing elites, then working as a custodian of Stanisław August Poniatowski’s weapons collection and at the same time as his court gunsmith. The last stage was his work on setting up the gun manufactory in Kozienice, a short spell of running the repair company during the Kościuszko Uprising and a newly discovered phase in his life, which was working for the gun manufactory in Kremenchuk in Russia. years-long study of the trade in Western Europe (Leondium, St. Etienne and perhaps Suhl) and finally working in Paris for Prince of Condé confirm that he reached a high professional status already when abroad. He then reached the highest level back in Poland, when he became the last king of Poland Stanisław August Poniatowski’s court gunsmith. Guns created by him were of the highest quality in terms of ease of use and artistry, which is attested by his choice of high quality barrels, metal fittings and high level of workmanship of wooden stocks. The following stage in his life was organising the manufactory production of guns. Experience earned abroad, most likely in St Etienne, was beneficial also in this case. Kownacki’s professional comments on the quality of iron contained in notes to the King, as well as his involvement in organising the Kozienice manufatory, the repair company at the time of the Kościuszko Uprising and building machines to make cannonballs at the same time – they all prove his extensive knowledge not only in the area of gunsmithery, but also in early industrial organisation of labour, as well as constructing production machinery.
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Iconography of Prince Józef Antoni Poniatowski, one of the Polish biggest national heroes, is exceptionally rich. Numerous paintings and prints – portraits and illustrations for the Prince Józef Poniatowski’s legend – have become the source for the ceramics painters ceramics and glass engravers as early as in the years 1815–1860 and then circa 1913, at the time of the centenary of the hero’s death. The cult and the legend are still alive. Prince Józef’s figurines have still been manufactured since the 2nd half of the 19th century. As early as the beginning of the 20th century, the 19th century objects were in collections of Polish collectors such as: Antoni Chełmiński, Edward Goldstein, count Wł. Grabowski, Antoni Hubert, I. Kobierzycki, P. Koczorowski, Stanisław Patek, Józef Poller, count Rajnold Przezdziecki, Ryszard Stanisław Ryszard, unknown Dr R., Stanisław Ursyn-Rusiecki, W. Sipayło, Antoni Strzałecki, Stefan Szyller, Konstanty Tarasowicz, Kl. Więckowska, Bogdan Wydżga, Zofia Zawiszanka and Ludwik Żeleński.
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The aim of this article is to reconstruct the composition of the members of the court and analyse the structure of the ‘Muscovy Court’, which accompanied Prince Władysław Vasa on his expedition to Moscow in the years 1617–1618. The Prince’s closest associates were the leading and prominent, supporters of his candidacy for the tsar’s throne; they had been active in Moscow earlier, during the Time of Troubles (Russian: Смутное время). Władysław, who himself was heading for the capital of Muscovy established a representative-cum-administrative state apparatus around himself, which was to facilitate his taking over power and bringing in peace. Based on reconstructed biographies of individual members of the Prince’s closest entourage, it is possible to determine their upward career paths, as well as the reasons which led them to support Władysław Vasa’s candidacy
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This study uncovers fifty-one unknown or forgotten espistolographic sources housed in the Riksarkivet in Stockholm and Munich’s Bayerisches Hauptstaatsarchiv relating to Władysław Zygmunt Vasa’s European tour in the years 1624–1625. Most of the letters were written by the traveller himself, but very illegibly and in a language which can only be described as para-German with strong Austrian influences and some Polish forms—written mainly to Urszula Meierin, the eminence grise of the Vasa court, and also indirectly to his father and stepmother. The remaining letters were written by Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor, and his chamberlain Nicolaus Nussern, Wilhelm V Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria, and his son Maximilian I, as well as Archduchess Maria Maddalena of Austria, Grand Duchess of Tuscany. There is important information about the process of preparing for the young Vasa’s visit to Bavaria in the letters written by Prince Johann of Hohenzollern Sigmaringen and Vöhringen, as well as in the writings of the Bavarian commissioners (Johann Praisingen, and Maximilian von Kurtz Senftenau) and the reports of Konstantin Fugger and Nicolas Grosshed. These documents shed light on the complexities of the day-by-day preparations for the Prince’s arrival, details of how the journey was financed and the difficulties encountered while travelling, as well as of the complex system for sending correspondence. The materials contain invaluable information about the protagonist’s impressions of works of art, e.g. in Munich, Augsburg (where he visited the workshop of the goldsmith, Hans Georg Peyerl), in Venice (which he considered the most beautiful place on earth) and in the Southern Netherlands. They abound in details relating to his artistic interests and ambitions as a patron of the arts. For example, in a letter from Brussels, Vasa boasted of having conducted some successful transactions, writing about how he commissioned some new pieces from the local tapestry makers’ workshops and purchased several paintings, including real masterpieces (capolavori). He also emphasized that he endeavoured to buy original works of art, and not the copies appearing on the market. In his correspondence from Bologna, Władysław, the future founder of an operatic theatre, mentions engaging the services of a ‘good organist’ (most probably Giovanni Francesco Anerio) for the royal court, as well as a castrato (Baldassare Ferri). He also expressed his hope of employing a skilled alto.
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The Treasury of the Pauline Monastery at Jasna Góra in Czestochowa contains an eighteenthcentury votive offering commissioned by Maria Josepha of Saxony, wife of Louis the Dauphin of France (the son and heir of Louis XV); the painting has been executed in an exceptionally skilful manner. Due to its provenance and the person who commissioned it, it deserves an in-depth study because it is an important testimony to Franco-Polish artistic relations. The votive offering which is mentioned in the Monastery’s provincial archives of 1756 is recorded in the Monastery’s inventories already from 1768. Information about this work of art has appeared sporadically in academic texts: special attention should be paid to the studies by The Rev. Jan Golonka and Jerzy Żmudziński, who included a long note about the painting in their publication about the Jasna Góra Treasury and also later in a catalogue of the exhibition U tronu Królowej Polski. Jasna Góra w dziejach kultury i duchowości polskiej (At the throne of the Queen of Poland. Jasna Góra in the history of Polish culture and spirituality). The votive painting commissioned by King August III’s daughter was painted on canvas in France in c. 1753 and was placed in a cast, chiselled and gilt bronze frame. To date, no attempts have been made to identify the authors of the work. An analysis of the painting has made it possible to establish that the brown frame was made according to patterns in Juste-Aurèle Meissonnier’s Developement de bordure pour la chasse du Roy of 1738, which was published in 1748 by Gabriel Huquier, and—most probably— was made by François-Thomas Germain, one of the best goldsmiths of the mid-eighteenth century in France. The painting itself may have been executed by Charles François Hutin, a French artist who went to Dresden in 1748 to work at the court of August III. It is impossible to confirm whether the work was indeed commissioned to Hutin without carrying out a detailed analysis of Maria Josepha’s expenses. It is worth emphasizing the artistic significance of the votive painting. It is a French artistic work expressing gratitude to Our Lady of Częstochowa for saving the life of the future king of France. The involvement of leading artists of that time should come as no surprise given the context in which it was painted, and the commissioning of a French artist seems plausible due to the strong ties between Maria Josepha and her native court. This votive painting which finds itself in Polish collections is a very good example of mid-eighteenth century Parisian goldsmithery and is undoubtedly on a par with works of art in French collections.
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The rule of Poland by the Romanovs during the years 1815–30 is a particularly interesting phenomenon in the field of political culture in post-partition Poland. It provides a wide scope for research into the difficulty of adapting the traditions of pre-partition Poland (which were of great importance for the national identity of Poles in the nineteenth century) to the new circumstances— the Congress Kingdom of Poland remained a sovereign state in personal union with Russia. Among the diverse issues that make up this vast subject, special attention should be paid to the royal court of that time as an institution which factored strongly in influencing the image of the ruler. The widely-encompassing analysis of the court presented in this text deals with its organization, staff composition and ceremonial settings, (based on the funeral of Alexander I in 1826 which was held in Warsaw, and on the coronation of Nicholas I as king of Poland in 1829), as well as how the court was perceived by society. This provides us with an innovative way of looking at the problem of the Russian-Polish monarch’s image, which he himself cultivated with the assistance of his court. The aim of this article is to draw attention to an issue which has hitherto been ignored in historiography—it considers the court in symbolic terms. For, in the opinion of the author, not only the ceremonies, but all decisions relating to the organization of the court, can be seen as being politically charged, and helping to create the official image of the Romanovs on the Polish throne. After all—by its very nature—the court’s primary role was to represent power; it had no other more important political function.
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This article discusses how the French perceived diplomatic ceremonies in the PolishLithuanian Commonwealth both at the royal court and during the interregnum period and at the time of the election of the new king, when the interrex received foreign envoys in the company of senators. The eighteenth- century publication which was the source of the article was based on the accounts of diplomats and visitors who travelled to Poland, however its contents were compared with selected accounts of not only French envoys, but also those from other European countries. Therefore, we have an interesting picture of the principles on which audiences of foreign representatives were organized in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, both by monarchs and also in the interregnum period, for they gathered together a large group of representatives of the magnates and szlachta who graced these meetings with their presence, whereas the actual protocol for receiving diplomatic missions at the court and the electoral field seem to follow similar principles throughout the whole of the seventeenth century.
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On 20 January 1971, during a meeting with representatives from creative circles, Edward Gierek, the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers’ Party, announced the reconstruction of the Royal Castle in Warsaw. The decision to rebuild the castle was welcomed enthusiastically, releasing a great wave of generosity among Poles. However, the reconstruction of the castle announced by the new leader of the Communist Party provoked heated discussions and disputes among the Polish diaspora. A considerable number of emigres, especially those who had been part of the political elite—whilst not negating the reason and need to reconstruct the Royal Castle in Warsaw, one of the symbols of an independent Poland—saw in this decision a commercial and opportunistic act by the Polish People’s Republic. In particular, the fundraising planned for the reconstruction of the castle raised opposition. Emigre circles were worried that the Communist authorities could use the funds collected and sent to Poland for purposes other than those for which they were intended. The emigre Press also suggested that the Germans should reconstruct the ruined castle.
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This article is an attempt to write a concise account of the Side Gate, a component of the mediaeval- cum-early modern fortifications of Warsaw’s Old Town. The gate was relocated within the roundel in the inner line of defensive walls. The appearance of the structure is known from many iconographic representations. Ultimately it took the form of a classic, rectangular gate tower with a foregate. It was surmounted with an ornamental attic. The structure was first mentioned in 1584, then still as a ‘new gate’. At that time it was already inhabited by the executioner. During the Swedish Deluge, the gate became the scene of battles between the forces of King Jan II Kazimierz who were besieging Warsaw and the Swedish army. In 1804 the building was demolished as it was in a poor technical condition.
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