Piotr Stachiewicz (29 October 1858, , (now Ukraine) - 14 April 1938,

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

) was a Polish painter and illustrator.

Biography

From 1877 to 1883, he studied at the

Kraków Academy of Fine Arts The Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków ( pl, Akademia Sztuk Pięknych im. Jana Matejki w Krakowie, usually abbreviated to ''ASP''), is a public institution of higher education located in the centre of Kraków, Poland. It is the oldest Pol ...

with

Władysław Łuszczkiewicz Władysław Łuszczkiewicz (September 3, 1828 – May 23, 1900) was a Polish historian and painter of the late Romantic era from Kraków, active in the period of the foreign partitions of Poland. He was a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts and ...

and Florian Cynk. From 1883 to 1885, he continued his studies at the

Academy of Fine Arts, Munich The Academy of Fine Arts, Munich (german: Akademie der Bildenden Künste München, also known as Munich Academy) is one of the oldest and most significant art academies in Germany. It is located in the Maxvorstadt district of Munich, in Bavaria, ...

, with

Otto Seitz Otto Seitz, was a 19th-century German painter; born 3 September 1846 in Munich. As a professor with the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich, he was the mentor of many major artists. Works His primary subjects were genre scenes, floral still life and ...

. Upon graduating, he took an extensive trip, visiting Italy, Greece and Jerusalem. After that, he settled in Kraków, where he painted portraits, historical scenes and religious art. During this period, he created some of his best-known works; a series featuring the famous model, , wearing traditional folk costumes. He also designed

mosaic A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...

s for the

Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus ( pl, Bazylika Najświętszego Serca Pana Jezusa w Krakowie) is a Roman Catholic church of the Jesuits in Kraków. Architecture This monumental Jesuit Church erected from 1909 to 1921 to a design by Franci ...

. In 1889, he became a member of the

Kraków Society of Friends of Fine Arts The Kraków Society of Friends of Fine Arts ( pl, Towarzystwo Przyjaciół Sztuk Pięknych w Krakowie, TPSP) is a social group of artists, artisans and their supporters founded in Kraków in 1854, under the Austrian Partition of Poland. Today, the ...

and served as its Vice-President from 1900 to 1913. In 1893, he refused an offer to be named Director of the Kraków Academy, as it was undergoing a major reorganization which would have required him to fire some of his old instructors. He was also a prolific illustrator for works by

Adam Mickiewicz Adam Bernard Mickiewicz (; 24 December 179826 November 1855) was a Polish poet, dramatist, essayist, publicist, translator and political activist. He is regarded as national poet in Poland, Lithuania and Belarus. A principal figure in Polish Ro ...

Maria Konopnicka Maria Konopnicka (; ; 23 May 1842 – 8 October 1910) was a Polish poet, novelist, children's writer, translator, journalist, critic, and activist for women's rights and for Polish independence. She used pseudonyms, including ''Jan Sawa''. She ...

and

Józef Ignacy Kraszewski Józef Ignacy Kraszewski (28 July 1812 – 19 March 1887) was a Polish writer, publisher, historian, journalist, scholar, painter, and author who produced more than 200 novels and 150 novellas, short stories, and art reviews, which makes him the ...

. His most notable work in this area was a series of 22 paintings made for ''

Quo Vadis ''Quō vādis?'' (, ) is a Latin phrase meaning "Where are you marching?". It is also commonly translated as "Where are you going?" or, poetically, "Whither goest thou?" The phrase originates from the Christian tradition regarding Saint Pete ...

'' by

Henryk Sienkiewicz Henryk Adam Aleksander Pius Sienkiewicz ( , ; 5 May 1846 – 15 November 1916), also known by the pseudonym Litwos (), was a Polish writer, novelist, journalist and Nobel Prize laureate. He is best remembered for his historical novels, especi ...

and reproduced as postcards. They were apparently considered lost but, in 2014, were found and returned from the United States for an exhibition in Poland. Other sources indicate they were simply in a private collection and were exhibited at the

Detroit Institute of Arts The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), located in Midtown Detroit, Michigan, has one of the list of largest art museums, largest and most significant art collections in the United States. With over 100 galleries, it covers with a major renovation a ...

in 1953. From 1893 to 1895, he produced a series of paintings depicting the workers in the Wieliczka Salt Mines, which earned him an award from the

Polish Academy of Learning The Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences or Polish Academy of Learning ( pl, Polska Akademia Umiejętności), headquartered in Kraków and founded in 1872, is one of two institutions in contemporary Poland having the nature of an academy of scien ...

. The originals were lost during World War II, but some color reproductions survived. Together with

Włodzimierz Tetmajer Włodzimierz Tetmajer (December 31, 1861 in Harklowa – December 26, 1923 in Kraków) was a Polish painter with works in collections of the Warsaw National Museum and Kraków. Biography Włodzimierz Tetmajer was born in Harklowa near Krako ...

, he founded a bi-weekly art magazine, ''Świat'' (The World). He was also known for a series of religious paintings on the

Black Madonna of Częstochowa The Black Madonna of Częstochowa ( pl, Czarna Madonna / Matka Boska Częstochowska; la, Imago thaumaturga Beatae Virginis Mariae Immaculatae Conceptae, in Claro Monte, lit=Miraculous Image of the Immaculate Conception, the Blessed Virgin Mary ...

. In 1923, he was awarded the

Order of Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta ( pl, Order Odrodzenia Polski, en, Order of Restored Poland) is a Polish state decoration, state Order (decoration), order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on al ...

.Excerpt
from ''Order Odrodzenia Polski : trzechlecie pierwszej kapituły : 1921-1924'' @

Kujawsko-Pomorska Digital Library Within the framework of Scientific Libraries Consortium of Kujawsko-Pomorski Region, Nicolaus Copernicus University Library in Toruń has started a long-term enterprise of building a digital library called Kujawsko-Pomorska Digital Library. The pr ...

Selected works

File:Nowe latko ilustracja page21.png, Cover illustration for "New Summer" by Konopnicka File:Okocim.jpg, Advertisement for
Okocim Beer File:Piotr Stachiewicz, Mleczarka.jpg, Milkmaid Piotr Stachiewicz - Legenda o Matce Boskiej (Królowa niebios) 08.jpg, Legend of the Virgin Mary (Queen of Heaven) No.8 File:Pocztówka Legenda-o-Matce-Boskiej1.jpg, Postcard of
Our Lady of the Thunder Candle Piotr Stachiewicz - Legenda o Matce Boskiej (Królowa niebios) 03.jpg, Legend of the Virgin Mary (Queen of Heaven) No. 3 File:Stachiewicz-Grotto.jpg, Crystal Grotto
(Wielicka Salt Mine) File:Stachiewicz-Eunice.jpg, Eunice Kissing
a Statue of

Petronius Gaius Petronius Arbiter"Gaius Petronius Arbiter"
A collection of Stachiewicz's works
@ MyViMu
Piotr Stachiewicz
from ''Die Kunst'' (Vol.19), Munich, 1909 @ Archive.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Stachiewicz 1858 births 1938 deaths Burials at Rakowicki Cemetery 19th-century Polish painters 19th-century Polish male artists 20th-century Polish painters 20th-century Polish male artists Polish illustrators Recipients of the Order of Polonia Restituta Polish male painters Painters from Austria-Hungary