DOI Heft:
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DOI Artikel:Murawska-Muthesius, Katarzyna: The myth of bohemianism in nineteenth-century Warsaw
DOI Seite / Zitierlink:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.51715#0199
self-representation, Kostrzewski acknowledged his
participation in the reveries of the literary bohéme,
using the already current term cyganeria (bohéme)?'
Signifcantly, as a student, Kostrzewski was giving
drawing lessons to Marcin Olszyňski,* 32 and it was
the friendship between the artist and his pupil, which
formed the nucléus of the future community of
painters. As we will see, impromptu sketch would
also be used as the privileged medium within the
Olszyňski group.
Both Kostrzewski and Gierdziejewski provided
personal links between the literary bohème and the
Olszyňski group, which was set up in Olszyhski’s
comfortable apartment in 1850, transferring some of
the habits of the eccentric life styles of Filleborn and
Wolski to the brotherhood of painters. The majority
of the members of the literary bohème, who came of
age when the University of Warsaw was closed and
did not experience higher éducation, were profes-
sionally united by their publications.33 For the group
of painters, however, it was the School of Fine Arts
which provided the starting point for the friendship
and common activities. The School, set up in 1844,
filled the acute gap in art éducation in Warsaw capital,
which, after the closure of the Department of Fine
Arts of Warsaw University, was deprived of a public
institution to teach artists their profession. Relatively
small, initially forming part of the Gymnasium, or
high school, and not even gaining the status of a
higher éducation establishment before 1852, the
School produced mostly teachers of drawing and
architects. Nonetheless, for those who aimed to
become independent artists, the School offered also
Professional diplomas, so-called patents for the grade
of liberal arts, which were granted to them, as in
other Fine Arts Academies in Europe, on the basis of
submitted works on strictly “academie” topics, taken
from ancient history.34 This would be, however, the
last time, when its graduâtes would hâve anything
in common with Roman heroes, biblical saints, or
11 KOSTRZEWSKI, E: Pamiçtnik [Memoirs], Warszawa 1881.
32 Ibidem, p. 12.
33 Apart from Józef Dziekoňski, see note 21.
34 RYSZKIEWICZ, A. - JAKIMOWICZ, I.: Szkola Sztuk
Piçknych w Warszawie 1844 — 1866 [School of Fine Arts in
„ Babo daj bul k i za grosz ”
5. Franciszek Kostrgewski: “Woman, a bread-rollfor a penny”. The
picture illustrâtes a Murger-like stoty by Waclaw Stymanowski, a “bohe-
mian” version of theparagone betweenpainting and literatuře, in which a
painter (Kostrzewski) demonstrates to a man of letters (Symanowski) the
power of his éloquence as tested on a Warsaw female stallholder. Repro:
SZYMANOWSKI, W. íV a/.: Szkicc i obrazki [Sketches and Images).
Warszawa 1858,p. 61.
mythological goddesses, the majority of them turn-
ing towards new subject matter and artistic freedoms
promised by landscapes and genre.35 Such a choice
was neither unusual, nor particularly bohemian at the
time, as landscape, genre and cityscapes hâve already
been practiced by the School’s professors, especially,
Warsaw 1844 - 1866). In: Rocynik Warszawski [The Warsaw
Yearbook], 4, 1963, pp. 56-113.
35 Ibidem. The School of Fine Arts diploma was perceived as
insufficient, and the majority of the young graduâtes were
almost under obligation to complété their éducation abro-
ad. The range of European Art Academies visited by them
prompts a reflection on the still unwritten geography of art
191
participation in the reveries of the literary bohéme,
using the already current term cyganeria (bohéme)?'
Signifcantly, as a student, Kostrzewski was giving
drawing lessons to Marcin Olszyňski,* 32 and it was
the friendship between the artist and his pupil, which
formed the nucléus of the future community of
painters. As we will see, impromptu sketch would
also be used as the privileged medium within the
Olszyňski group.
Both Kostrzewski and Gierdziejewski provided
personal links between the literary bohème and the
Olszyňski group, which was set up in Olszyhski’s
comfortable apartment in 1850, transferring some of
the habits of the eccentric life styles of Filleborn and
Wolski to the brotherhood of painters. The majority
of the members of the literary bohème, who came of
age when the University of Warsaw was closed and
did not experience higher éducation, were profes-
sionally united by their publications.33 For the group
of painters, however, it was the School of Fine Arts
which provided the starting point for the friendship
and common activities. The School, set up in 1844,
filled the acute gap in art éducation in Warsaw capital,
which, after the closure of the Department of Fine
Arts of Warsaw University, was deprived of a public
institution to teach artists their profession. Relatively
small, initially forming part of the Gymnasium, or
high school, and not even gaining the status of a
higher éducation establishment before 1852, the
School produced mostly teachers of drawing and
architects. Nonetheless, for those who aimed to
become independent artists, the School offered also
Professional diplomas, so-called patents for the grade
of liberal arts, which were granted to them, as in
other Fine Arts Academies in Europe, on the basis of
submitted works on strictly “academie” topics, taken
from ancient history.34 This would be, however, the
last time, when its graduâtes would hâve anything
in common with Roman heroes, biblical saints, or
11 KOSTRZEWSKI, E: Pamiçtnik [Memoirs], Warszawa 1881.
32 Ibidem, p. 12.
33 Apart from Józef Dziekoňski, see note 21.
34 RYSZKIEWICZ, A. - JAKIMOWICZ, I.: Szkola Sztuk
Piçknych w Warszawie 1844 — 1866 [School of Fine Arts in
„ Babo daj bul k i za grosz ”
5. Franciszek Kostrgewski: “Woman, a bread-rollfor a penny”. The
picture illustrâtes a Murger-like stoty by Waclaw Stymanowski, a “bohe-
mian” version of theparagone betweenpainting and literatuře, in which a
painter (Kostrzewski) demonstrates to a man of letters (Symanowski) the
power of his éloquence as tested on a Warsaw female stallholder. Repro:
SZYMANOWSKI, W. íV a/.: Szkicc i obrazki [Sketches and Images).
Warszawa 1858,p. 61.
mythological goddesses, the majority of them turn-
ing towards new subject matter and artistic freedoms
promised by landscapes and genre.35 Such a choice
was neither unusual, nor particularly bohemian at the
time, as landscape, genre and cityscapes hâve already
been practiced by the School’s professors, especially,
Warsaw 1844 - 1866). In: Rocynik Warszawski [The Warsaw
Yearbook], 4, 1963, pp. 56-113.
35 Ibidem. The School of Fine Arts diploma was perceived as
insufficient, and the majority of the young graduâtes were
almost under obligation to complété their éducation abro-
ad. The range of European Art Academies visited by them
prompts a reflection on the still unwritten geography of art
191