An extremely important exhibition from the point of view of Polish art history, and one that could easily have slipped under the radar. Advertised extensively on Koleje Mazowieckie trains' TV screens – but nowhere else – the exhibition, Perspektywy ('Perspectives'), brings together paintings by Jacek Malczewski from 16 museums and from private collections across Poland. His paintings are grouped together alongside those by his contemporaries by theme.
These include fauns, satyrs and nymphs in clearings and glades, by rivers, often with the artist among them, pan pipes, goats' hooves; allegories of Poland's enslavement and rebirth; many self-portraits with classical allusions, Polish landscapes, and – here and there – fantastical visions.
The exhibition shows works by artists with whom Malczewski had master-student or friendly relations, but also those whose work could have influenced his painting. The context of the title is provided by the juxtaposition of work by artists such as Jan Matejko, Józef Mehoffer, Julian Fałat, Leon Wyczółkowski Olga Boznańska and others. By displaying works that influenced the development of his art, from his early technical studies to the rich symbolism of his later pieces, the exhibition is a journey through the life and works of a great artist, that explores the main threads appearing in his painting.
For all but the last 11 years of his life (Malczewski died at the age of 75), Poland was partitioned between Russia, Austro-Hungary and Germany; Polish artists straddled those borders. Born in Radom (under Russian occupation), Malczewski studied and later taught in Kraków (under Austro-Hungarian occupation). When the First World War broke out, Poles living under the Tsar had to fight against Poles living under the Austro-Hungarian Emperor and the German Kaiser. This reality is shown in the many paintings inspired by Poland's failed risings in 1831 and 1863, the repressions that followed, and the eternal hope that one day Poland would be free and reunited.
As the exhibition comes to an end, it occurs to me that being able to see all these Malczewski paintings under one roof again is not something that will happen for a long, long time. And displaying them in the context of his contemporaries may not happen again. It runs until 9 January; normal ticket price is 40 złotys, but if you come by Koleje Mazowieckie train and show your ticket, the price tumbles to 10 złotys.
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50% off and nothing to pay till June 2016
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