DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.41455#0199
Ferdynand
Ruszczyc
1870 Bohdanow - 1936 Bohdanow
Ferdynand Ruszczyc came from a well-to-do land-
owning family that settled in the district of Oszmia-
na (now Belarus). He spent his childhood in Li-
bau (now Liepaja) in Latvia, the hometown of his moth-
er (who was of Danish origin). Around 1877, the Rusz-
czyc family moved to Minsk. In 1890, Ferdynand fin-
ished secondary school and went to St Petersburg to
study at the law faculty, in accordance with his father’s
wishes. Simultaneously, he enrolled as an external stu-
dent at the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts. After two
years, he gave up law and, on passing the entrance exam-
ination, was admitted to the Academy. His first teacher
there was Ivan Shishkin - followed, from 1895 to gradu-
ation in 1897, by the eminent landscape painter Arkhip
Kuindzhi. At Kuindzhi’s studio he developed a friend-
ship with a group of colleagues, including Arkadi Rylov,
Alexandr Borisov, Nikolai Roerich and Konstantin Bo-
gaevski, who would play in due time a significant role
in the development of Russian painting. In the course of
his studies, Ruszczyc made summer artistic trips to Cri-
mea (1894 and 1895) and to the isle of Rugen (1896 and
1897), where he painted seascapes.
In 1896, the artist travelled to Western Europe, visiting
Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, Switzerland and Austria.
Back from his travels, he settled for a couple of years in
his birthplace, Bohdanow, to which his parents had mean-
while returned. Living in the country, Ruszczyc worked
assiduously. It was in the years 1898-1904 that most of
his best-known symbolic compositions, based on the land-
scapes of Bohdanow and its environs, were painted. By
1902, the artist had taken part in exhibitions held by the
Petersburg Academy and by the Mirlskusstva movement.
From 1899, Ruszczyc also exhibited in Vilno and War-
saw, where his symbolist paintings Earth and Mill receiv-
ed enthusiastic reviews. In 1900, he participated in the
exhibition of the Fine Arts Society in Cracow. He met
there the leading painters of Young Poland and was ad-
mitted to the Polish Artists’ Society “Sztuka”, in the exhi-
bitions of which he would participate for many years to
come (among other places, in Vienna). From 1907 to 1908
he was the Society’s President.
In 1903-1904, Ruszczyc was the co-organizer of the
Warsaw School of Fine Arts, where he became Professor.
He lived then in Warsaw for some time, before moving to
the nearby Wlochy. In 1906, he decreased his involve-
ment in teaching and moved once again to Bohdanow.
However, in 1907 he took over the Chair of Landscape
Painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow after Jan
Stanislawski’s death. Merely a year later, disappointed by
the atmosphere at the Academy, he gave up his profes-
sorship and moved to the region of Vilno. Now he devot-
ed most of his time to the theatre as a producer and set
designer. His stage productions in Vilno included, among
others, plays by Juliusz Slowacki and Stanislaw Wyspiari-
ski. The artist only rarely returned to painting, but be-
came occupied with book and press graphics. In 1910,
he was a co-founder of Tygodnik Wilehski [The Vilno
Weekly]. He got married to Regina Rouck in 1913-
During the First World War, Ruszczyc stayed in Bohda-
now, and returned to Vilno when that city was incorporat-
ed into Poland in 1919- He immediately joined in the
organization of the Fine Arts Faculty at the restored Uni-
versity of Vilno, and became Dean of that Faculty. He
held this post until 1926, and then again from 1929 to
1931- Throughout the inter-war period, Ruszczyc was a
key figure in the artistic life of Vilno, and served for a
couple of years on the City Council. Apart from teaching
at the University, he was also active in the field of the
theatre, made posters, designed the layout of all sorts of
publications and printed materials, as well as banners; he
also acted as art director during official state or church
celebrations. The artist was the head of a committee for
the restoration of Vilno Cathedral and the Ostra Brama
Chapel, where the interior decoration of his design exists
to date. He wrote numerous articles about the art and
monuments of Vilno and for many years kept a diary. In
recognition of his merits, he was awarded the command-
er’s cross of the Polonia Restituta Order and the Golden
Cross of Merit, as well as the French Legion of Honour.
In 1932, Ruszczyc became partly paralyzed and had to
withdraw from active life. Three years later he was appoint-
ed Honorary Professor of the Stefan Batory University.
He spent the last months of his life in Bohdanow.
Ferdynand Ruszczyc possessed a rare combination of
genuine, versatile talent and enormous energy and or-
ganizational abilities.
206
Ruszczyc
1870 Bohdanow - 1936 Bohdanow
Ferdynand Ruszczyc came from a well-to-do land-
owning family that settled in the district of Oszmia-
na (now Belarus). He spent his childhood in Li-
bau (now Liepaja) in Latvia, the hometown of his moth-
er (who was of Danish origin). Around 1877, the Rusz-
czyc family moved to Minsk. In 1890, Ferdynand fin-
ished secondary school and went to St Petersburg to
study at the law faculty, in accordance with his father’s
wishes. Simultaneously, he enrolled as an external stu-
dent at the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts. After two
years, he gave up law and, on passing the entrance exam-
ination, was admitted to the Academy. His first teacher
there was Ivan Shishkin - followed, from 1895 to gradu-
ation in 1897, by the eminent landscape painter Arkhip
Kuindzhi. At Kuindzhi’s studio he developed a friend-
ship with a group of colleagues, including Arkadi Rylov,
Alexandr Borisov, Nikolai Roerich and Konstantin Bo-
gaevski, who would play in due time a significant role
in the development of Russian painting. In the course of
his studies, Ruszczyc made summer artistic trips to Cri-
mea (1894 and 1895) and to the isle of Rugen (1896 and
1897), where he painted seascapes.
In 1896, the artist travelled to Western Europe, visiting
Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, Switzerland and Austria.
Back from his travels, he settled for a couple of years in
his birthplace, Bohdanow, to which his parents had mean-
while returned. Living in the country, Ruszczyc worked
assiduously. It was in the years 1898-1904 that most of
his best-known symbolic compositions, based on the land-
scapes of Bohdanow and its environs, were painted. By
1902, the artist had taken part in exhibitions held by the
Petersburg Academy and by the Mirlskusstva movement.
From 1899, Ruszczyc also exhibited in Vilno and War-
saw, where his symbolist paintings Earth and Mill receiv-
ed enthusiastic reviews. In 1900, he participated in the
exhibition of the Fine Arts Society in Cracow. He met
there the leading painters of Young Poland and was ad-
mitted to the Polish Artists’ Society “Sztuka”, in the exhi-
bitions of which he would participate for many years to
come (among other places, in Vienna). From 1907 to 1908
he was the Society’s President.
In 1903-1904, Ruszczyc was the co-organizer of the
Warsaw School of Fine Arts, where he became Professor.
He lived then in Warsaw for some time, before moving to
the nearby Wlochy. In 1906, he decreased his involve-
ment in teaching and moved once again to Bohdanow.
However, in 1907 he took over the Chair of Landscape
Painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow after Jan
Stanislawski’s death. Merely a year later, disappointed by
the atmosphere at the Academy, he gave up his profes-
sorship and moved to the region of Vilno. Now he devot-
ed most of his time to the theatre as a producer and set
designer. His stage productions in Vilno included, among
others, plays by Juliusz Slowacki and Stanislaw Wyspiari-
ski. The artist only rarely returned to painting, but be-
came occupied with book and press graphics. In 1910,
he was a co-founder of Tygodnik Wilehski [The Vilno
Weekly]. He got married to Regina Rouck in 1913-
During the First World War, Ruszczyc stayed in Bohda-
now, and returned to Vilno when that city was incorporat-
ed into Poland in 1919- He immediately joined in the
organization of the Fine Arts Faculty at the restored Uni-
versity of Vilno, and became Dean of that Faculty. He
held this post until 1926, and then again from 1929 to
1931- Throughout the inter-war period, Ruszczyc was a
key figure in the artistic life of Vilno, and served for a
couple of years on the City Council. Apart from teaching
at the University, he was also active in the field of the
theatre, made posters, designed the layout of all sorts of
publications and printed materials, as well as banners; he
also acted as art director during official state or church
celebrations. The artist was the head of a committee for
the restoration of Vilno Cathedral and the Ostra Brama
Chapel, where the interior decoration of his design exists
to date. He wrote numerous articles about the art and
monuments of Vilno and for many years kept a diary. In
recognition of his merits, he was awarded the command-
er’s cross of the Polonia Restituta Order and the Golden
Cross of Merit, as well as the French Legion of Honour.
In 1932, Ruszczyc became partly paralyzed and had to
withdraw from active life. Three years later he was appoint-
ed Honorary Professor of the Stefan Batory University.
He spent the last months of his life in Bohdanow.
Ferdynand Ruszczyc possessed a rare combination of
genuine, versatile talent and enormous energy and or-
ganizational abilities.
206