Ignacy Aleksander Gierymski (30 January 1850,
Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
– d. 6–8 March 1901,
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
) was a Polish
painter
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...
of the late 19th century, the younger brother of
Maksymilian Gierymski
Maksymilian Dionizy Gierymski (1846 in Warsaw – 1874 in Reichenhall, Bavaria) was a Polish painter, specializing mainly in watercolours. He was the older brother of painter Aleksander Gierymski.
As a seventeen-year-old boy, he particip ...
. He was a representative of
Realism
Realism, Realistic, or Realists may refer to:
In the arts
*Realism (arts), the general attempt to depict subjects truthfully in different forms of the arts
Arts movements related to realism include:
*Classical Realism
*Literary realism, a move ...
as well as an important precursor of
Impressionism
Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open Composition (visual arts), composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating ...
in Poland.
Biography
Aleksander Gierymski completed Secondary State School nr III in
Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
in 1867, and in the same year commenced drawing studies in Warsaw. Between 1868 – 1872 he studied at the
Academy of Fine Arts in
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
and graduated with a gold medal. He received a commendation for his diploma work ''The Merchant of Venice''. Between 1873-1874 he stayed in
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
, mostly in Rome. There he completed his first famous works: ''Roman Inn'' and ''Morra Game'', which Gierymski brought to Warsaw in the beginning of 1875 and exhibited at
Zachęta Gallery. Both paintings received the attention of audiences and critics.
From late 1875 until 1879 the artist returned to Rome, where he worked to improve his work, particularly spending much time studying Italian paintings. The most important work of the Roman period was his painting ''
In the Arbour''. It was an approach to impressionism, which was preceded by extensive studies in this area (for example ''Cylinder on a table'', ''Man in red tail-coat'' among others). In the painting ''In the Arbour,'' we can see the scene of an 18th-century social gathering, which takes place in a gazebo filled with light from behind. Such scenes allowed him to play with colours and light. Gierymski's work can be compared to contemporary
French impressionists
Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open Composition (visual arts), composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating ...
, even though he had not yet been in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
and there was no evidence that he had seen their work.
The greatest period for Gierymski was between the years 1879 -1888 which he spent in Warsaw. In this time he worked with a group of young positivist writers and painters, clustered around the periodical ''Wędrowiec (Eng. Wanderer)''. Responsible for art affairs in these magazines was
Stanisław Witkiewicz
Stanisław Witkiewicz ( lt, Stanislovas Vitkevičius) (8 May 1851 – 5 September 1915) was a Polish painter, art theoretician, and amateur architect, known for his creation of "Zakopane Style".
Life
Witkiewicz was born in Poszawsze in S ...
, who took up a battle for Gierymski's public recognition.
Paintings, which Gierymski made in this period, for example, ''Jewish women selling oranges''; ''The Old Town Gate'', ''Solec’s Marina'', ''The Feast of Trumpets'' and ''Sandblasters'' and others are based on the lives of poor people from two districts in Warsaw –
Powiśle and Old Town. Unfortunately, his works were never understood and respected in contemporary Poland. As other unappreciated persons in his motherland, without livelihoods, he left Warsaw behind and went abroad in 1888.
Following his departure from Poland he lived largely in Germany and France. As his environment changed, his work changed as well. Away from his homeland, he started to paint subjects that weren't so personal. He was mostly painting landscapes (
Kufstein Castel Outlook, Part of
Rothenburg Rothenburg is a German language placename and refers to:
Places
*Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Bavaria, Germany
*Rothenburg, Oberlausitz, Saxony, Germany
*Rothenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
*Rothenburg, Switzerland, Canton of Lucerne, S ...
, sea landscapes). He was frequently painting at night, which allowed him to paint objects under artificial light, such as ''(Munich nocturnes'', ''
Paris Opera
The Paris Opera (, ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be ...
at Night'', ''Twilight over
Seine
)
, mouth_location = Le Havre/Honfleur
, mouth_coordinates =
, mouth_elevation =
, progression =
, river_system = Seine basin
, basin_size =
, tributaries_left = Yonne, Loing, Eure, Risle
, tributarie ...
'').
He came back to Poland in 1893 and stayed till 1895, in order to apply for a position at the
Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow. This journey revived his interest in human subjects. The ''
Peasant's Coffin
''Peasant Coffin'' ( pl, Trumna chłopska) is an oil painting by Polish artist Aleksander Gierymski, created in 1895.
Description
The painting shows a sad peasant couple sitting outside their house with a child-sized coffin nearby.
During his s ...
'' is one of the paintings from that period.
For the last years of his life he remained in
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
. From that latter period came works like ''Interior of
Basilica of San Marco
The Patriarchal Cathedral Basilica of Saint Mark ( it, Basilica Cattedrale Patriarcale di San Marco), commonly known as St Mark's Basilica ( it, Basilica di San Marco; vec, Baxéłega de San Marco), is the cathedral church of the Catholic Pat ...
'' in Venice,
Piazza del Popolo in Rome or outlooks of
Verona
Verona ( , ; vec, Verona or ) is a city on the Adige River in Veneto, Northern Italy, Italy, with 258,031 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region. It is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and the ...
.
His bitter disappointments in life are revealed on his self-portrait painted a year prior to his death. He looked at the world with the eye of a naturalist, despite his hot-temper. Tragically, the last years of his life were spent in a
mental hospital; nevertheless he left a unique heritage. His works represented realism, like
Courbet’s, and he wasn't afraid to represent all matters of life, including the lives of humble people.
Gierymski died between 6-8 of March 1901 in Rome in a mental hospital on
Via della Lungara Street. He was buried at the
Campo Verano
The Campo Verano (Italian: ''Cimitero del Verano'') is a cemetery in Rome, Italy, founded in the early 19th century. The monumental cemetery is currently divided into sections: the Jewish cemetery, the Catholic cemetery, and the monument to the ...
Cemetery in Rome on 10 March 1901.
Gallery
Major works
* ''
Jewish Woman Selling Lemons'' (1881),
Silesian Museum,
Katowice
Katowice ( , , ; szl, Katowicy; german: Kattowitz, yi, קאַטעוויץ, Kattevitz) is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Upper Silesian metropolitan area. It is the 11th most popul ...
, Poland
* ''
Jewess with Oranges'' (1881),
National Museum in Warsaw (stolen in 1944, found in Germany in 2010)
[Objects lost due to World War I]
The Ministry of Culture and National Heritage
/ref>
* '' In the Arbour'' (1882), The National Museum in Warsaw
* ''Powiśle'' (1883), National Museum in Kraków
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, ce ...
, Gallery of 19th Century Polish Art at Sukiennice
* ''Feast of Trumpets I'' (1884), The National Museum in Warsaw
* ''Sandblasters'' (1887), The National Museum in Warsaw
* '' Wittelsbach Square in Munich at night'' (1890), The National Museum in Warsaw
* ''Twilight over Seine'' (1892–1893), The National Museum in Kraków Gallery of 19th Century Polish Art at Sukiennice
* ''Peasant's Coffin
''Peasant Coffin'' ( pl, Trumna chłopska) is an oil painting by Polish artist Aleksander Gierymski, created in 1895.
Description
The painting shows a sad peasant couple sitting outside their house with a child-sized coffin nearby.
During his s ...
'' (1894–1895), The National Museum in Warsaw
* ''A boy carrying a shaft'' (1895), National Museum in Wrocław
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, ce ...
* ''Lake on the sunset'' (1900), private collection
* ''Stone Pine near Villa Borghese in Rome'' (1900), The National Museum in Kraków Gallery of 19th Century Polish Art st Sukiennice
* ''The Sea'' (1891), The National Museum in Warsaw
See also
* List of Polish painters
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gierymski, Aleksander
1850 births
1901 deaths
Artists from Warsaw
19th-century Polish painters
19th-century Polish male artists
Polish male painters