Bulletin du Musée National de Varsovie (32.1991)

According to the evangelical chronology, the Temptation of Christ follows the Baptism in the
Jordan, whereas in the central panel of the Triptych under discussion, it is represented after
the scenę of Jesus' later conversation with the Samaritan Woman, and just before his entry
into Jeruselem.

The programme of the Triptych contains a very original approach to Christ's battle with the
Satan, the first stage of which is the triple Temptation, and the second Christ's victory in Jeru-
salern during his martyrdom ending in his death on the Cross.

Using au original formuła of simultaneous narration, the Master of the Triptych represents
the Temptation and Entry into Jerusalem as a prologue to the Passion drama depicted on the
two reverses.

Translated hy Joanna Holzman

Danuta Jackiewicz

THE ART OF PHOTOGRAPHY:
PORTRAIT LANDSCAPE AND REPORTAGE IN POLISH
19TH CENTURY PHOTOGRAPHY*

From the moment it was made public the invcntion of photography stirred enormous interest.
Soms admired and marvelled at it, while others disapproved. It provided fulfilment of man's
long dream of the most perfect and faithful picture of the World around, but its direct renditiou
of naturę provoked uneasiness. Some perceived its boundless possibilities, as yet unexplored;
others prefered it to remain merely a humble servant of art and science. Photography performed
this latter role by recording images of people, old monuments, landscapes and events, howevcr
soon it became an art in its own right, with its own experiences, masters and tradition.

The history of Polish photography1 is as old as the invention itself. As early as February 6,
1839, engineer Maksymilian Strasz of Kielce informed the readers of the Gazeta Codzienna2 of
Daguerre's discovery. In the same year Strasz published f ive more articles on Talbot's and Dagucr-
re's achievements in this daily.3 With one of the articles he enclosed two Talbotypes made by
himself, the originals of which have not yet been found.

* Exhibition in the National Muscum in Warsaw, May—June 1990.

1. Juliusz Garztecki,Early Photography in Eastern Europę: Poland",in: History of Photography, 1977, I, pp. 39—62; Jan
Maria Jackowski,, ,Beginnings of Polish Political Photography", in; Polish Art Sludies, [Ossolineum], Wrocław, 1989;
Fotografia polska. Featuring original masterworks from public and prlvate collcctions in Poland 1839 to 1945 and a scleclion
of avani-garde photography, film and video from 1945 to tlie presenl, New York, 1979.

2. , ,0 ustaleniu działań światła",Gazeta Codzienna, supplement Wiadomości Handlowe i Przemysłowe, February 6, 1839.

3. Articles of 13 July:,,Sposoby przenoszenia na papier przedmiotów za pomocą kamery obskury przez Wpływ samego świat-
ła"; 13 August:,,Zdanie sprawy pana Ara go o daguerro typie"; 31 August:,,Postępowanie pana Daguerr'a w utwierdzaniu
obrazów przez promienie światła"; 19 October: „Opis szczegółowy wyrabiania dagerotypów"; and 27 November:,,Uwagi
nad przedstawianiem przedmiotów w da gerotypie". Quoted after; Aleksander Macicsza, Historia fotograf ii polskiej w la-
tach 1839—1889, Płock, 1972.

39