Polish sculpture of the 19th century in the collection of the National Museum in Krakow

Tendencies omnipresent in the sculptural art of the 19th century pushed artists to search for the figural ideal, which they did by drawing abundantly from models dating back to the distant past. Inspiration was sought in history and literature, with academic literalism attempting to spin tales colored by a wealth of allegory. Efforts to faithfully convey the content prevailed over the search for innovative form.

The political and economic situation in the Polish lands, as well as the scant public interest in this type of art and the resulting scarcity of rich patronage, resulted in a lack of monumental, architectural and large-scale sculpture. A significant part of sculptural work in Poland was gravestone sculpture, and it also became fashionable to make portraits and cabinet busts of great Poles. The condition of Polish sculpture and, consequently, the position of sculptors began to gradually improve at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.

About 100 diverse sculptural works depicting the achievements of Polish artists from 100 years ago will be on display at the Stalowa Wola exhibition. Numerously represented here is portrait sculpture, among which a woman of Marceli Guyski charms with her delicate Slavic beauty; In the neoclassical self-portrait of Konstantin Hegel, attention is drawn to the overly characterful physiognomy carved in marble, similarly realistic features have the highland face of Szymon Tatar the Elder, sculpted by Felicja Modrzejewska (daughter-in-law of the famous actress), while a surprisingly Roman depiction of the figure of Jan Kochanowski was combined with Polish costume by Pius Weloński. Wojciech Święcki copied the head of Prince Józef Poniatowski from Thorvaldsen’s Warsaw monument, creating the rest of the bust according to his own invention. A joint work of the famous Dane and Jakub Tatarkiewicz is a portrait of Maria Wołowska, née Szymanowska (mother-in-law of Adam Mickiewicz).

Among the examples of tomb sculpture, the angel of death lifting the children’s souls chiseled by M. Guyski is moving. A similarly poignant impression on viewers is made by Tadeusz Rygier’s “Ecce Homo” – an example of sacred sculpture, while completely different emotions are evoked by the subtle and pensive “Madonna with a lily” (by Stanislaw Lipinski), and the escape to Egypt was presented very unusually in relation to the well-known iconography by Wladyslaw Pelczarski.

“Faith” by Celestyn Hoszowski draws attention with its sensual naturalism, while in the same group of allegorical sculptures the dignified and majestic ‘Vistula-Wawel’ by Antoni Kurzawa compels reverie. This artist, who became famous for the scandal he caused by destroying his own sculpture during an exhibition, which the community considered to be an act of artistic freedom, also presents boiling with energy pairs of dancers in “Polonaise” and “Oberek.”

Dramatic stories, steeped in patriotism, are this time chiseled in his bas-reliefs by the poet and sculptor in one person Teofil Lenartowicz (“Holy Workers,” “Exile to Siberia,” “In a Siberian Mine”). The stately “Zaporizhzhia”, made with great attention to detail, refers to the history of the eastern borderlands of the Republic. A special treat for viewers is the opportunity to confront the works of Franciszek M. Wyspiański, among them the particularly delightfully subtle likenesses of Antonina and Eugenia Dettloff, with the work of his much more famous son, Stanislaw.

Women who parade their art materialized in clay or stone are successfully represented: Natalia Andriollova with “Sleeping Cupid” captivating with its immaculate smoothness of lines, Luna Drexler with an apocalyptic masquerade, among others, or Antonina Rożniatowska with the suspenseful “Lotus” or the mysterious, inspired and perfectly executed “Wajdelota.”