DOI issue:
Nr. 1
DOI article:Stefański, Krzysztof: Konstanty i Jarosaw Wojciechowscy - dwa pokolenia, dwie postawy wobec historyzmu
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49349#0114
108
Krzysztof Stefański
Konstanty and Jarosław Wojciechowski: two generations
and two approaches to historicism
The succession of generations in the history of art is a
natural phenomenon conditioned by its evolution. The
visual expression of this phenomenon becomes
particularly obvious when it concerns the members of
the same family; most frequently when alongside the
artist-father arises the artist-son.
This kind of situation occurred in the history of
Polish architecture in the case of the Wojciechowski
family: father, Konstanty (1841-1910) and son,
Jarosław (1874-1940). Their creative work
encompassed one of the most striking moments in art
history: the tum of the 19th and 20th centuries. The
creative work ofthe father, Konstanty Wojcie-chowski,
is closely related to the period of mature and late
historicism in Polish architecture and his oeuvre
constitutes a model example of forms that were
characteristic for that period.
Jarosław Wojciechowski began his architectural
activity in the first years of the 20th century, at a time
when historicism was waning, and he started to search
for new ways of developing architecture. He took an
active part in this search and his designs prior to 1914
are a elear indication ofthe direction he followed. The
activity of both architects, son and father, provides
superb material permitting an investigation ofthe main
developmental trends of Polish architecture in the
space of nearly fifty years, during a period marking
the maturing and decline of historicism, Art Nouveau
and early modemism during an extraordinarily fertile
period, when the traditional approach underwent a
reevaluation and the framework of modern
architectural design took shape. Comparative analysis
of architectural activity and approach to the historical
heritage of both creators, representing two different
generations, is facilitated by the fact that both figures
were most active in the sphere of sacral architecture.
The creative work of Konstanty Wojciechowski
relates to the beginning of a search in Polish
architecture for sacral forms of a national character,
which in the area of the Congress Kingdom took the
shape of the so-called Vistula-Baltic style. This term
was applied to neo-Gothic motifs based on brick
building from the late Middle Ages in Pomerania,
Cujavia, Mazovia and Lithuania. Wojciechowski the
elder was among the most consistent propagators of
these kinds of forms. An important role in this
architect's creative design was played by the
conservation work conducted under his supervision
on Włocławek Cathedral, originally based on a design
by Tadeusz Styjeński and subsequently according to
his own conceptions, in which he carried out a
consistent programme ofre-Gothicising the monument
in accordance with the what by that time were already
anachronistic conceptions of E.E. Viollet-le-Duc.
During the course ofrestoration work on the Cathedral,
Wojciechowski devised characteristically neo-Gothic
forms which, as architect of the Cujavia diocese, he
subsequently repeated in numerous designs, including
the churches at Kutno (1883-6), the Assumption of
Our Holy Lady at Łódź (1887-90), Milejów (1897-
1902), Gorzko-wice (1897-9) as well as Vasilauskis
(Pol.:Wasiliszki) in Lithuania (1898-1903). The work
of this architect's life was supposed to be the
monumental church of the Holy Family at
Częstochowa (currently the Cathedral), upon which
construction was commenced in 1902, but this dragged
on into the 1950s, the bell towers being completed as
late as in 1998. K. Wojciechowski was consistent in
his creative designs, endeavouring in a consistent way
to revive the old forms of Polish architecture. This
was linked to his activities devoted to preserving
historie monuments. He was among the founding
fathers and most active members ofthe Warsaw Society
for the Protecting of Historie Monuments (the still-
active TOnZ), originally set up in 1906.
Jarosław Wojciechowski began his activity in a
different situation, in the first years ofthe 20th century,
when moves to work out a sacral form in Polish
architecture of a recognizably national character was
still in vogue. The young generation of architects,
however, rejected the forms of traditional historicism,
including the 'Yistula-Baltic style', as being
anachronistic. Inspiration instead was sought in folk
building, in forms drawn from provincial Polish
Baroque and Romanism, subjected to far-reaching
alteration aimed at the eliminating of eclectic detail
and simplifying forms. Wojciechowski the younger
actively joined in these searches, resorting to the so-
called Zakopane style, of which the distinct example
was his competition design entry for St. Elizabeth's
church at Lwów (Austro-German: Lemberg, Ukr.:
L'viv) from 1903. Subsequently his searches took the
direction of freely altered Gothic motifs (the church at
Białynin, 1908-10), and above all Romanesque
(churches at: Parzno, 1905-12; Miedzierz, 1907-13;
Lutotów, from 1910). The striving for an ever stronger
modernation of architectural form is clearly defined,
the most distinct example of this tendency being the
church at Psary near Turko, in which the architect
decisively broke with historical forms to create a
Krzysztof Stefański
Konstanty and Jarosław Wojciechowski: two generations
and two approaches to historicism
The succession of generations in the history of art is a
natural phenomenon conditioned by its evolution. The
visual expression of this phenomenon becomes
particularly obvious when it concerns the members of
the same family; most frequently when alongside the
artist-father arises the artist-son.
This kind of situation occurred in the history of
Polish architecture in the case of the Wojciechowski
family: father, Konstanty (1841-1910) and son,
Jarosław (1874-1940). Their creative work
encompassed one of the most striking moments in art
history: the tum of the 19th and 20th centuries. The
creative work ofthe father, Konstanty Wojcie-chowski,
is closely related to the period of mature and late
historicism in Polish architecture and his oeuvre
constitutes a model example of forms that were
characteristic for that period.
Jarosław Wojciechowski began his architectural
activity in the first years of the 20th century, at a time
when historicism was waning, and he started to search
for new ways of developing architecture. He took an
active part in this search and his designs prior to 1914
are a elear indication ofthe direction he followed. The
activity of both architects, son and father, provides
superb material permitting an investigation ofthe main
developmental trends of Polish architecture in the
space of nearly fifty years, during a period marking
the maturing and decline of historicism, Art Nouveau
and early modemism during an extraordinarily fertile
period, when the traditional approach underwent a
reevaluation and the framework of modern
architectural design took shape. Comparative analysis
of architectural activity and approach to the historical
heritage of both creators, representing two different
generations, is facilitated by the fact that both figures
were most active in the sphere of sacral architecture.
The creative work of Konstanty Wojciechowski
relates to the beginning of a search in Polish
architecture for sacral forms of a national character,
which in the area of the Congress Kingdom took the
shape of the so-called Vistula-Baltic style. This term
was applied to neo-Gothic motifs based on brick
building from the late Middle Ages in Pomerania,
Cujavia, Mazovia and Lithuania. Wojciechowski the
elder was among the most consistent propagators of
these kinds of forms. An important role in this
architect's creative design was played by the
conservation work conducted under his supervision
on Włocławek Cathedral, originally based on a design
by Tadeusz Styjeński and subsequently according to
his own conceptions, in which he carried out a
consistent programme ofre-Gothicising the monument
in accordance with the what by that time were already
anachronistic conceptions of E.E. Viollet-le-Duc.
During the course ofrestoration work on the Cathedral,
Wojciechowski devised characteristically neo-Gothic
forms which, as architect of the Cujavia diocese, he
subsequently repeated in numerous designs, including
the churches at Kutno (1883-6), the Assumption of
Our Holy Lady at Łódź (1887-90), Milejów (1897-
1902), Gorzko-wice (1897-9) as well as Vasilauskis
(Pol.:Wasiliszki) in Lithuania (1898-1903). The work
of this architect's life was supposed to be the
monumental church of the Holy Family at
Częstochowa (currently the Cathedral), upon which
construction was commenced in 1902, but this dragged
on into the 1950s, the bell towers being completed as
late as in 1998. K. Wojciechowski was consistent in
his creative designs, endeavouring in a consistent way
to revive the old forms of Polish architecture. This
was linked to his activities devoted to preserving
historie monuments. He was among the founding
fathers and most active members ofthe Warsaw Society
for the Protecting of Historie Monuments (the still-
active TOnZ), originally set up in 1906.
Jarosław Wojciechowski began his activity in a
different situation, in the first years ofthe 20th century,
when moves to work out a sacral form in Polish
architecture of a recognizably national character was
still in vogue. The young generation of architects,
however, rejected the forms of traditional historicism,
including the 'Yistula-Baltic style', as being
anachronistic. Inspiration instead was sought in folk
building, in forms drawn from provincial Polish
Baroque and Romanism, subjected to far-reaching
alteration aimed at the eliminating of eclectic detail
and simplifying forms. Wojciechowski the younger
actively joined in these searches, resorting to the so-
called Zakopane style, of which the distinct example
was his competition design entry for St. Elizabeth's
church at Lwów (Austro-German: Lemberg, Ukr.:
L'viv) from 1903. Subsequently his searches took the
direction of freely altered Gothic motifs (the church at
Białynin, 1908-10), and above all Romanesque
(churches at: Parzno, 1905-12; Miedzierz, 1907-13;
Lutotów, from 1910). The striving for an ever stronger
modernation of architectural form is clearly defined,
the most distinct example of this tendency being the
church at Psary near Turko, in which the architect
decisively broke with historical forms to create a