Rocznik Historii Sztuki (18.1990)

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MIECZYSŁAW PASZKIEWICZ

LETTERS OF JACEK MALCZEWSKI TO KAROL LANCKOROŃSKI

Summary

Seventy letters written by the leading Polish Symbolist painter, Jacek Malczewski (1854-1929) to Count Karol
Lanckoroński (1848-1933) published here belong to the Lanckoroński Foundation in London. The date from 1885 (or 1887)
to 1918. It would be difficult to find two more différent, contrasting persons than the sender and the addressee of these letters.
Malczewski was always in financial trobles while Lanckoroński was a very wealthy landowner, and an influential magnate in
the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the last décades of its existence. The painter belonged to the impovershed petty nobility of
Central Poland, while the count to one of the most powerful families in the old Kingdom of Poland, well known and
prominent already in the 14th century. Malczewski, a prolific artist, usually preferred to stay at homc, in Cracow. Count
Edward Raczyński describes him accurately in the letter to his cousin Karol Lanckoroński (published here in the supplément):
„... et Vous savez combien il a de peine â se détacheur de ce Cracovie. ou il étouffe, mais qu'il aime malgré tout."

Lanckoroński was a keen traveller, an art connoisseur and a collector on a considérable scale (for instance Uccello's „St George
and the Dragon", in the National Gallery in London, come from his collection). He also organized and financed two archaelogical
expéditions to explore ruins of classical cities in Asia Minor. Malczewski took part in the earlier one, not as a professional illustrator,
but as a friend of the organizer. Surprizing as it may sound these two men, in spite of ail the différences, were and remainded for several
décades true friends. The letters and a collection of nearly 250 drawings and paintigs by the artist also owned by the Foundation, bear
witness to it.

То a sceptical (and superficial) observer, the friendship in question may look rather suspect and, in practical terms,
onesided. Malczewski often borrowed money and no évidence in the letters can be found that he ever tried to pay it back.
Lanckoroński organized and financed for him trips abroad, in fact pressed hard the reluctant artist to travel, or entertained him
in his country résidence Rozdół. Tha painter sold sometimes his drawings and pictures to Lanckoroński but at other occasions
gave them away to him free, as well as often expressed his gratitude to him in the letters. One may ask if such an exchange was
even, or who was the loser and who the winner. Perhaps the answer lays in this that nobody should count gains or losses in
friendship, as the basis of it is generosity.

In addition to the letters by Malczewski, six others, related to the artist, are owned by the Foundation. One by
Lanckoroński, to his mother, is illustrated by the artist; three by Wojciech Kossak (a Polish painter, friend of Malczewski) give
information about him; two by Edward Raczyński to Karol Lanckoroński describe in some détail the purchase from
Malczewski of the important séries of pictures entitled „Zatruta Studnia" (The poisoned well).

The correspondence contains information about the family and private life of the painter, and about his career as a
professor at the Accademy of Fine Arts in Cracow, but, above ail, about his creativity. Occasionally the artist expressed his
opinion with passion. For instance, in the letter no. XLV, dated 7 I 1903, he bitterly attacks the Vienna Sécession and in
particular its eminent représentative, Gustave Klimt. This outburst was provoked by a brochure published by Lanckoroński
and distributed by Malczewski.