DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.45642#0079
Czas poszukiwań. Młodzieńcze obrazy rodzajowe Henryka Siemiradzkiego
75
Świętosławska 2015 = Świętosławska, Agnieszka: “Emi-
gration as an artistic turning point - Ignacy Szcze-
drowski, Konstanty Kukiewicz and Tadeusz Górecki
at the Imperial Academy of Arts in Saint Petersburg”,
Art Inquiry, 17 (2015): 321-345.
Булгаков 1890 = Булгаков, Ф[ёдор] И.: Наши худож¬
ники, t. 2, Изд. Суворина, Санкт-Петербург 1890.
Волошкина 2002 = Волошкина, С(ветлана): „Дми-
трий Безперчий - харьковский учитель Генриха
Семирадского”, ВАник Харк1всъко! Державно!
АкадемП дизайну i мистецтв, 9 (2002): 31-35.
Карпова 2008 = Карпова, Т[атьяна] Л.: Генрих Се-
мирадский, Золотой Век, Санкт-Петербург 2008.
Лебедева 1997 = Лебедева, Д[аира] Н.: Генрих Семи-
радский, Издательство Арт-Родник, Москва 1997.
Леонтьева 1986 = Леонтьева, Г[алина] К.: Карл Пе-
трович Брюллов: альбом, Художник РСФСР, Ле-
нинград 1986.
Петинова 2001 = Петинова, Е[лена]: Русские худож-
ники ХГШ-начала XX века. 50 биографий. Изда-
тельство Аврора, Санкт-Петербург 2001.
Петров 1949 = Петров, В[севолод] Н.: К. Брюллов,
Издательство Государственного музея изобра-
зительных искусств им. А. С. Пушкина, Москва
1949.
Сусак 2002 = Сусак, BfiKTopia]: «Украшсью моти-
ви в творчосы Г. Семирадського», Вгсник Хар-
кгвсъко! Державно! АкадемП дизайну i мистецтв,
9 (2002): 147-157.
Сусак 2002а = Сусак, В[Гга] : «Твори Генр1ха Семи-
радського у 3bipui Льв1всько! Галере! Мистецтв»
[w:] Henryk Siemiradzki, 1843-1903. Międzynaro-
dowa sesja naukowa poświęcona 100. rocznicy śmierci
Henryka Siemiradzkiego, Twów, 19-20 Lipca 2002,
Federacja Organizacji Polskich na Ukrainie, Lwów
2002: 77-90.
Agnieszka Świętosławska
A time of searching. Early genre scenes by Henryk Siemiradzki
During his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg, Henryk Siemiradzki was regarded as
an “academic artist by conviction”, devoted to the ancient Greek and Roman culture. His heated discus-
sion with Vladimir Vasilyevich Stasov, in which Siemiradzki declared himself to be in the pursuit of the
perfect beauty without “halting in the mud of mankind”, became a legend. In fact, the subject matter of
his paintings from the time of learning (due to the university guidelines) most often referred to ancient
and biblical history. However, in the 1860s Siemiradzki also created several genre paintings illustrating
contemporary life with mainly Ukrainian and Russian folk motifs. The aim of the article is an attempt to
analyze the role which these genre scenes played in the early works of the later master. From the artists
letters and records in his notebooks it appears that in the days preceding his artistic studies and in the
early years at the Academy, Siemiradzki admired genre scenes by other artists and also tned his hand at
creating some of his own. In the genre painting he appreciated the truth of observation and the ability
to awaken emotions in a viewer. He also noticed that similar works could bring popularity and financial
success, both of which were important for a young artist. Such paintings as The Cojfm Trader and The
Saint Andrew’s Night were created by Siemiradzki for public exhibitions, while others were painted on
special orders by private recipients. Looking for a naturalness of expression and emotional themes, the
painter often searched for inspirations in the works of old masters and contemporary artists, both Rus-
sian and European. Considering his work in the context of mid-19ch-century art, it is clearly visible that
Siemiradzki was strongly influenced by the then popular convention and standard iconographic motifs in
use. With the advancement of his studies and the subsequent successes of his historical works, Siemiradzki
painted scenes from everyday life less and less frequently. It was a period of crystallization for his own
artistic path. The finał aspect of the article, however, is to indicate what role these early experiments with
the contemporary genre motifs played in the formation of the maturę style of the painter.
75
Świętosławska 2015 = Świętosławska, Agnieszka: “Emi-
gration as an artistic turning point - Ignacy Szcze-
drowski, Konstanty Kukiewicz and Tadeusz Górecki
at the Imperial Academy of Arts in Saint Petersburg”,
Art Inquiry, 17 (2015): 321-345.
Булгаков 1890 = Булгаков, Ф[ёдор] И.: Наши худож¬
ники, t. 2, Изд. Суворина, Санкт-Петербург 1890.
Волошкина 2002 = Волошкина, С(ветлана): „Дми-
трий Безперчий - харьковский учитель Генриха
Семирадского”, ВАник Харк1всъко! Державно!
АкадемП дизайну i мистецтв, 9 (2002): 31-35.
Карпова 2008 = Карпова, Т[атьяна] Л.: Генрих Се-
мирадский, Золотой Век, Санкт-Петербург 2008.
Лебедева 1997 = Лебедева, Д[аира] Н.: Генрих Семи-
радский, Издательство Арт-Родник, Москва 1997.
Леонтьева 1986 = Леонтьева, Г[алина] К.: Карл Пе-
трович Брюллов: альбом, Художник РСФСР, Ле-
нинград 1986.
Петинова 2001 = Петинова, Е[лена]: Русские худож-
ники ХГШ-начала XX века. 50 биографий. Изда-
тельство Аврора, Санкт-Петербург 2001.
Петров 1949 = Петров, В[севолод] Н.: К. Брюллов,
Издательство Государственного музея изобра-
зительных искусств им. А. С. Пушкина, Москва
1949.
Сусак 2002 = Сусак, BfiKTopia]: «Украшсью моти-
ви в творчосы Г. Семирадського», Вгсник Хар-
кгвсъко! Державно! АкадемП дизайну i мистецтв,
9 (2002): 147-157.
Сусак 2002а = Сусак, В[Гга] : «Твори Генр1ха Семи-
радського у 3bipui Льв1всько! Галере! Мистецтв»
[w:] Henryk Siemiradzki, 1843-1903. Międzynaro-
dowa sesja naukowa poświęcona 100. rocznicy śmierci
Henryka Siemiradzkiego, Twów, 19-20 Lipca 2002,
Federacja Organizacji Polskich na Ukrainie, Lwów
2002: 77-90.
Agnieszka Świętosławska
A time of searching. Early genre scenes by Henryk Siemiradzki
During his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg, Henryk Siemiradzki was regarded as
an “academic artist by conviction”, devoted to the ancient Greek and Roman culture. His heated discus-
sion with Vladimir Vasilyevich Stasov, in which Siemiradzki declared himself to be in the pursuit of the
perfect beauty without “halting in the mud of mankind”, became a legend. In fact, the subject matter of
his paintings from the time of learning (due to the university guidelines) most often referred to ancient
and biblical history. However, in the 1860s Siemiradzki also created several genre paintings illustrating
contemporary life with mainly Ukrainian and Russian folk motifs. The aim of the article is an attempt to
analyze the role which these genre scenes played in the early works of the later master. From the artists
letters and records in his notebooks it appears that in the days preceding his artistic studies and in the
early years at the Academy, Siemiradzki admired genre scenes by other artists and also tned his hand at
creating some of his own. In the genre painting he appreciated the truth of observation and the ability
to awaken emotions in a viewer. He also noticed that similar works could bring popularity and financial
success, both of which were important for a young artist. Such paintings as The Cojfm Trader and The
Saint Andrew’s Night were created by Siemiradzki for public exhibitions, while others were painted on
special orders by private recipients. Looking for a naturalness of expression and emotional themes, the
painter often searched for inspirations in the works of old masters and contemporary artists, both Rus-
sian and European. Considering his work in the context of mid-19ch-century art, it is clearly visible that
Siemiradzki was strongly influenced by the then popular convention and standard iconographic motifs in
use. With the advancement of his studies and the subsequent successes of his historical works, Siemiradzki
painted scenes from everyday life less and less frequently. It was a period of crystallization for his own
artistic path. The finał aspect of the article, however, is to indicate what role these early experiments with
the contemporary genre motifs played in the formation of the maturę style of the painter.