DOI Heft:
Nr. 2-3
DOI Artikel:Białostocki, Jan: Art, politics, and national independence
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.18864#0058
3. H. Rauchinger, In Siberian prison-mine, 1886, Kraków, Muzeum Narodowe
In Poland it was quite different. In Poland, divided between foreign powers historical painting
served politics but not the state, it served the interests of the nation, but not those of the autho-
rity. It produced not necessarily distinguished artistic achievements, in the contiary, artengaged
in representing history, especially the contemporary one and in result belonging almost to the
area of "applied art", used to be almost naive, but the last thing one could take exception to
would be a lack of political interests and of political passions. First in the images created by that
art, old, allegorical way of thinking can be traced, later slowly new images take shape, iuspired
by the new reality of national life in fetters. After the images representing the struggle against
the powerful neighbour states come images of defeats and afflictions. Ingres and Manet produced
images of "earthly paradise" — even if we do not accept all the implications of the idea of
Hofmana^1 ■—■ Polish artists depicted a world, which is closer to Heli than to Paradise.
Historical painting at the service of the political authority in France, Prussia, England, Russia
or Austria was a traditional art, continuing patterns of imagery formed by the Renaissance and
the Baroąue; besides the sometimes anecdotically conceived melodramatic scenes they were
first of all military triumphs, manifestations of the virtue of the ruler, leading his troops in the
first rangę or directing them to the victory, visiting and consoling the wounded; they were great
sacrifices undertaken in order to assure the definitive victory.
Historical and political painting in a country deprived of political independence assumed
different features. Originally it created too the legends of the heroes: graceful Tsar of Russia
visits his enemy — the leader of the national rising, (fig. 1) he gives him freedom ; handsome aDd
valiant commander of cavahy jumps — like the Roman hero Marcus Curtius — into the abyss
scar in order to obtain from the gods the freedom for his people.
4. W. Hofmanil, Dos Irdiscke Paradies, Munchen. 1960
48
In Poland it was quite different. In Poland, divided between foreign powers historical painting
served politics but not the state, it served the interests of the nation, but not those of the autho-
rity. It produced not necessarily distinguished artistic achievements, in the contiary, artengaged
in representing history, especially the contemporary one and in result belonging almost to the
area of "applied art", used to be almost naive, but the last thing one could take exception to
would be a lack of political interests and of political passions. First in the images created by that
art, old, allegorical way of thinking can be traced, later slowly new images take shape, iuspired
by the new reality of national life in fetters. After the images representing the struggle against
the powerful neighbour states come images of defeats and afflictions. Ingres and Manet produced
images of "earthly paradise" — even if we do not accept all the implications of the idea of
Hofmana^1 ■—■ Polish artists depicted a world, which is closer to Heli than to Paradise.
Historical painting at the service of the political authority in France, Prussia, England, Russia
or Austria was a traditional art, continuing patterns of imagery formed by the Renaissance and
the Baroąue; besides the sometimes anecdotically conceived melodramatic scenes they were
first of all military triumphs, manifestations of the virtue of the ruler, leading his troops in the
first rangę or directing them to the victory, visiting and consoling the wounded; they were great
sacrifices undertaken in order to assure the definitive victory.
Historical and political painting in a country deprived of political independence assumed
different features. Originally it created too the legends of the heroes: graceful Tsar of Russia
visits his enemy — the leader of the national rising, (fig. 1) he gives him freedom ; handsome aDd
valiant commander of cavahy jumps — like the Roman hero Marcus Curtius — into the abyss
scar in order to obtain from the gods the freedom for his people.
4. W. Hofmanil, Dos Irdiscke Paradies, Munchen. 1960
48