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DOI Artikel:Paszkiewicz, Piotr: Polskie środowisko artystyczne w Wiekiej Brytanii w latach II wojny światowej
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.48917#0152
PIOTR PASZKIEWICZ
47. Z. NATANSON, O propagandę sztuki polskiej. "Dzien-
nik Polski i Dziennik Żołnierza" 1945 nr 70.
48. LIPSKI, o.c.
49. A. A. L£)NGDEN,Allied Artists. "The Studio" 1942nr 594.
50. Wystawa pięciu artystów - żołnierzy w Bradford. "Wia-
domości Polskie" 1941 nr 51/52; (Tony), Wędrujący skra-
wek Polski. Wystawa Pięciu. "Dziennik Polski" 1943
nr 878.
51. Adam Bunsch (1896-1969). Wystawa retrospektywna.
Muzeum Okręgowe, Lublin 1987.
52. (T.T.), Wystawa Adama Kossowskiego. "Dziennik Polski
i Dziennik Żołnierza" 1944 nr 148; zob. też A. KOSSO-
WSKI, A Polish Soldier’s Journey. [W:] A. Kossowski.
Murals andPaintings. London 1990 s. 83-97.
53. Por. Adam Kossowski. Murals andPaintings, o.c.
54. E. NEWTON, Three Polish Artists. "Free Europę" 1942
(25.IX).
55. W. TAYLOR, Żyw. "Dzienik Polski i Dziennik Żołnie-
rza" 1945 nr 77.
56. Por. Ehibition of Polish Art. City of Manchester Art
Galery, March 20 -April 28, 1940.
57. S. ZAHORSKA, Historia malarstwa polskiego po angiel-
sku. "Wiadomości Polskie" 1942 nr 47.
58. Nowe władze Z.P.P. Artystów-Plastyków. "Dziennik Pol-
ski i Dziennik Żołnierza" 1944 nr 284.
59. Pracownia malarska wLondynie. "Dziennik Polski" 1943
nr 131.
60. Protokół z zebrania Z.Z.A.P.P. w Wlk. Brytanii z dn. 23
listopada 1944. Serdecznie dziękuję p. Janinie Barano-
wskiej za udostępnienie mi tego dokumentu.
61. P. POTWOROWSKI, The Society of Polish Artists in
Great Britain. "The Studio" 1945 nr 622.
62. R. DEMEL, O polskich żołnierzach artystach i studen-
tach sztuk pięknych w Italii i Anglii. [W:] Między Polską
a światem. Od średniowiecza po lata II wojny światowej.
Pod. red. M. MORKI i P. PASZKIEWICZA. Warszawa
1993 s. 427-445.
63. S. FRENKIEL, Polskie malarstwo i rzeźba w Wielkiej
Brytanii. 1945-1985 [W\\Kongr es Kultury Polskiej. Lon-
don 1985.
POLISH ARTISTIC MILIEU IN GREAT
Great Britain had for long attracted artists, who used
to look here for rich patrons and lucrative commissions.
Those who began to come and settle in this country in
the 1930s had different motivations. They were mostly
Jewish artists from Germany, Austria, and Czechoslo-
vakia, seeking refuge from the Nazi prosecutions. The
Poles were noticed in Great Britain in 1934, when the
first exhibition of Polish artists (Stanisław Noakowski,
Piotr Potworowski, Stefan Felsztyński) was held in Lon-
don. The first to choose England in his artistic peregri-
nations was Feliks Topolski in 1935. Next year he was
followed by Marek Żuławski whose one-man show look
place in London in 1937. Jan Lewitt and Jerzy Him also
arrived in Britain in 1937; in June 1939 Henryk Gotlib
went to London in order to spend his summer holidays
in Comwall, the outbreak of the war having torpedoed
his plans to return to Poland.
The shock caused by the defeat of Poland in Septem-
ber 1939 led to the exodus of the intellectual and artistic
elite to the West, mostly France and, after her defeat in
June 1940, to Great Britain. In their escape from the
occupied country the artists were also driven by the urge
to continue fighting against the Gennans. Ali this con-
tributed to the appearance of a great colony of Polish
artists in Great Britain.
The war years in Great Britain were by no means a
period of artistic stagnation. Almost as many paintings
as during the peace time were exhibited. The war con-
BRITAIN DURING WORLD WAR II
tributed to the popularization of art and literaturę, both
among the British society and the emigrant milieus, the
above being caused not only by the mood of solemnity
and dignity in the time of social stress but also by the
efforts of the British authorities to raise the nation’s
morale. Moreover, propaganda aspects of art were not
forgotten. Following the precedent from World War I
the British government established the War Artists’
Advisory Committee. The Committee, which was alre-
ady active in 1939, meant to create an artistic vision of
the war. Apart from the purchases of the ready works,
the Committee assigned war artists to particular troops
with the obligation to present military actions. Such an
official status was enjoyed by two Polish artists, Feliks
Topolski and Aleksander Żyw.
It would be illusory to think that the whole of the artistic
milieu in Great Britain was engaged in the war. Some
artists like Tadeusz Unicki and Mieczysław Janikowski did
not practice art at all. Others kept away from the current
events, concentrating on their art. Such an attitude was
typical of Piotr Potworowski, Wanda Ostrowska, and,
after leaving the army in 1944, of Zdzisław Ruszkowski.
Franciszka Themerson’s abstract compositions and hu-
morous illustrationspublished in "Nowa Polska" (1943)
also followed this trend. Apart from the posters concer-
ning the warof 1939 and the Warsaw Uprisingof 1944,
war subjects were of marginal interest to Marek
Żuławski, preoccupied with colour problems.
142
47. Z. NATANSON, O propagandę sztuki polskiej. "Dzien-
nik Polski i Dziennik Żołnierza" 1945 nr 70.
48. LIPSKI, o.c.
49. A. A. L£)NGDEN,Allied Artists. "The Studio" 1942nr 594.
50. Wystawa pięciu artystów - żołnierzy w Bradford. "Wia-
domości Polskie" 1941 nr 51/52; (Tony), Wędrujący skra-
wek Polski. Wystawa Pięciu. "Dziennik Polski" 1943
nr 878.
51. Adam Bunsch (1896-1969). Wystawa retrospektywna.
Muzeum Okręgowe, Lublin 1987.
52. (T.T.), Wystawa Adama Kossowskiego. "Dziennik Polski
i Dziennik Żołnierza" 1944 nr 148; zob. też A. KOSSO-
WSKI, A Polish Soldier’s Journey. [W:] A. Kossowski.
Murals andPaintings. London 1990 s. 83-97.
53. Por. Adam Kossowski. Murals andPaintings, o.c.
54. E. NEWTON, Three Polish Artists. "Free Europę" 1942
(25.IX).
55. W. TAYLOR, Żyw. "Dzienik Polski i Dziennik Żołnie-
rza" 1945 nr 77.
56. Por. Ehibition of Polish Art. City of Manchester Art
Galery, March 20 -April 28, 1940.
57. S. ZAHORSKA, Historia malarstwa polskiego po angiel-
sku. "Wiadomości Polskie" 1942 nr 47.
58. Nowe władze Z.P.P. Artystów-Plastyków. "Dziennik Pol-
ski i Dziennik Żołnierza" 1944 nr 284.
59. Pracownia malarska wLondynie. "Dziennik Polski" 1943
nr 131.
60. Protokół z zebrania Z.Z.A.P.P. w Wlk. Brytanii z dn. 23
listopada 1944. Serdecznie dziękuję p. Janinie Barano-
wskiej za udostępnienie mi tego dokumentu.
61. P. POTWOROWSKI, The Society of Polish Artists in
Great Britain. "The Studio" 1945 nr 622.
62. R. DEMEL, O polskich żołnierzach artystach i studen-
tach sztuk pięknych w Italii i Anglii. [W:] Między Polską
a światem. Od średniowiecza po lata II wojny światowej.
Pod. red. M. MORKI i P. PASZKIEWICZA. Warszawa
1993 s. 427-445.
63. S. FRENKIEL, Polskie malarstwo i rzeźba w Wielkiej
Brytanii. 1945-1985 [W\\Kongr es Kultury Polskiej. Lon-
don 1985.
POLISH ARTISTIC MILIEU IN GREAT
Great Britain had for long attracted artists, who used
to look here for rich patrons and lucrative commissions.
Those who began to come and settle in this country in
the 1930s had different motivations. They were mostly
Jewish artists from Germany, Austria, and Czechoslo-
vakia, seeking refuge from the Nazi prosecutions. The
Poles were noticed in Great Britain in 1934, when the
first exhibition of Polish artists (Stanisław Noakowski,
Piotr Potworowski, Stefan Felsztyński) was held in Lon-
don. The first to choose England in his artistic peregri-
nations was Feliks Topolski in 1935. Next year he was
followed by Marek Żuławski whose one-man show look
place in London in 1937. Jan Lewitt and Jerzy Him also
arrived in Britain in 1937; in June 1939 Henryk Gotlib
went to London in order to spend his summer holidays
in Comwall, the outbreak of the war having torpedoed
his plans to return to Poland.
The shock caused by the defeat of Poland in Septem-
ber 1939 led to the exodus of the intellectual and artistic
elite to the West, mostly France and, after her defeat in
June 1940, to Great Britain. In their escape from the
occupied country the artists were also driven by the urge
to continue fighting against the Gennans. Ali this con-
tributed to the appearance of a great colony of Polish
artists in Great Britain.
The war years in Great Britain were by no means a
period of artistic stagnation. Almost as many paintings
as during the peace time were exhibited. The war con-
BRITAIN DURING WORLD WAR II
tributed to the popularization of art and literaturę, both
among the British society and the emigrant milieus, the
above being caused not only by the mood of solemnity
and dignity in the time of social stress but also by the
efforts of the British authorities to raise the nation’s
morale. Moreover, propaganda aspects of art were not
forgotten. Following the precedent from World War I
the British government established the War Artists’
Advisory Committee. The Committee, which was alre-
ady active in 1939, meant to create an artistic vision of
the war. Apart from the purchases of the ready works,
the Committee assigned war artists to particular troops
with the obligation to present military actions. Such an
official status was enjoyed by two Polish artists, Feliks
Topolski and Aleksander Żyw.
It would be illusory to think that the whole of the artistic
milieu in Great Britain was engaged in the war. Some
artists like Tadeusz Unicki and Mieczysław Janikowski did
not practice art at all. Others kept away from the current
events, concentrating on their art. Such an attitude was
typical of Piotr Potworowski, Wanda Ostrowska, and,
after leaving the army in 1944, of Zdzisław Ruszkowski.
Franciszka Themerson’s abstract compositions and hu-
morous illustrationspublished in "Nowa Polska" (1943)
also followed this trend. Apart from the posters concer-
ning the warof 1939 and the Warsaw Uprisingof 1944,
war subjects were of marginal interest to Marek
Żuławski, preoccupied with colour problems.
142