DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.41741#0029
Alicja Karlowska-Kamzowa
Poznan
Problem of
Production in
Individuality and Serial
Silesian Painting till 14501
In the last quarter of the century several monographs were devoted to the Silesian Gothic
painting. They presented homogeneous development of this kind of art, formation
of the local formal and iconographical traditions and the influence of Silesian masters
on the neighbouring territories 2. In the paper Gothic Painting of the Pastern Part of the
Central Europe I tried to select analogous phenomena occurring on the territories including
our part of the continent. The ground for the thesis on the separate character of Gothic
painting of this territory was the observation of development of the artistic production
during two centuries. It united with results of the research of historians which showed
the cultural activity of courts, later also towns, in initiation and founding of the objects
of artistic character. Owing to the change of research perspective it is easier to define the
truly local features of the objects of art created on the territories of homogeneous geo-
graphic and historical range. To them surely belonged Silesia, its artistic appearance
being shaped in a complicated historical process. Convenient geographic location of this
district made easier the trade contacts, fluctuation os artists and artistic ideas. In
the discussed epoch, namely in the XIVth and XVth centuries, there was no outstanding
1 The range of notion „individuality” is used in the aspect commonly accepted for the artistic pro-
duction. I select the works of the anonymous masters who were able to change the formal convention
of the epoch, introduce new iconographical presentations or their variants. Then I draw attention to
the artist who defined his personality himself placing ostentatious signature on the first page os the
manuscript. I also introduce the differentiation of the new iconographical presentations in the works
formally average. Their appearance resulted either srom the will of the donors or the designers of the
subjects of the objects.
The range of the notion of „series” I treated broadely, understanding it as a sign of regular appearance
on the chosen territories of analogous: kinds of mural paintings, ways of decorating manuscripts (e.g. li-
turgical — missals, antiphonals, graduais), formal realizations and imitation of the iconographical types
or even compositional schemes occurring in all the kinds os painting.
2 All illustrations, bibliography and analysis of particular objects — quoted in the presented paper
is contained in my recently published books: Malarstwo élq.skie 1250—1450. Wroclaw 1979 and Ma-
larstwo gotyckie Europy Srodkowo-ivschodniej. Poznan 1982.
27
Poznan
Problem of
Production in
Individuality and Serial
Silesian Painting till 14501
In the last quarter of the century several monographs were devoted to the Silesian Gothic
painting. They presented homogeneous development of this kind of art, formation
of the local formal and iconographical traditions and the influence of Silesian masters
on the neighbouring territories 2. In the paper Gothic Painting of the Pastern Part of the
Central Europe I tried to select analogous phenomena occurring on the territories including
our part of the continent. The ground for the thesis on the separate character of Gothic
painting of this territory was the observation of development of the artistic production
during two centuries. It united with results of the research of historians which showed
the cultural activity of courts, later also towns, in initiation and founding of the objects
of artistic character. Owing to the change of research perspective it is easier to define the
truly local features of the objects of art created on the territories of homogeneous geo-
graphic and historical range. To them surely belonged Silesia, its artistic appearance
being shaped in a complicated historical process. Convenient geographic location of this
district made easier the trade contacts, fluctuation os artists and artistic ideas. In
the discussed epoch, namely in the XIVth and XVth centuries, there was no outstanding
1 The range of notion „individuality” is used in the aspect commonly accepted for the artistic pro-
duction. I select the works of the anonymous masters who were able to change the formal convention
of the epoch, introduce new iconographical presentations or their variants. Then I draw attention to
the artist who defined his personality himself placing ostentatious signature on the first page os the
manuscript. I also introduce the differentiation of the new iconographical presentations in the works
formally average. Their appearance resulted either srom the will of the donors or the designers of the
subjects of the objects.
The range of the notion of „series” I treated broadely, understanding it as a sign of regular appearance
on the chosen territories of analogous: kinds of mural paintings, ways of decorating manuscripts (e.g. li-
turgical — missals, antiphonals, graduais), formal realizations and imitation of the iconographical types
or even compositional schemes occurring in all the kinds os painting.
2 All illustrations, bibliography and analysis of particular objects — quoted in the presented paper
is contained in my recently published books: Malarstwo élq.skie 1250—1450. Wroclaw 1979 and Ma-
larstwo gotyckie Europy Srodkowo-ivschodniej. Poznan 1982.
27