Rafał Marceli Ludwik Fortunat Józef Malczewski (24 October 1892 – 15 February 1965) was a Polish landscape and portrait painter, draughtsman, author and columnist. He was a noted Tatra mountaineer, skier and populariser of the
Tatra Mountains.
Life
He was born in
Kraków
, officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...
, four years after his sister, Julia, the son of Maria, née Gralewska, and her husband the celebrated
Symbolist
Symbolism or symbolist may refer to:
*Symbol, any object or sign that represents an idea
Arts
*Artistic symbol, an element of a literary, visual, or other work of art that represents an idea
** Color symbolism, the use of colors within various c ...
painter and professor of Fine Art,
Jacek Malczewski
Jacek Malczewski (; 15 July 1854 – 8 October 1929) was a Polish symbolist painter who was one of the central figures of the patriotic Young Poland movement.
His works combined the predominant style of his time with historical motifs of Pol ...
.
He graduated from the Saint Jacek High School in the city. From 1910 to 1915 he studied at the
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna (, ) is a public university, public research university in Vienna, Austria. Founded by Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria, Duke Rudolph IV in 1365, it is the oldest university in the German-speaking world and among the largest ...
. He took courses in philosophy, architecture and
agronomy
Agronomy is the science and technology of producing and using plants by agriculture for food, fuel, fiber, chemicals, recreation, or land conservation. Agronomy has come to include research of plant genetics, plant physiology, meteorology, and ...
. On his return to Kraków he entered the
Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts
The Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków (, usually abbreviated to ''ASP''), is a public higher education, institution of higher education located in the centre of Kraków, Poland. It is the oldest Polish fine art academy, established in 1 ...
, and was also apprenticed in his father's studio. In 1915 he began to travel frequently to
Zakopane
Zakopane (Gorals#Language, Podhale Goral: ''Zokopane'') is a town in the south of Poland, in the southern part of the Podhale region at the foot of the Tatra Mountains. From 1975 to 1998, it was part of Nowy Sącz Voivodeship; since 1999, it has ...
where he spent extensive periods, to climb, ski and paint, until the
outbreak of World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated, with many nations mobilisin ...
. He joined the local
Mountain rescue team,
TOPR. However, in 1917 on the south face of "Zamarła Turnia" he and his climbing companion, Stanisław Bronikowski, were caught in a climbing accident in which his friend died, while Malczewski clung to a hook all night awaiting rescue.
In October 1917 he married Bronisława Dziadosz, an English teacher four years his senior and a
US citizen
Citizenship of the United States is a citizenship, legal status that entails Americans with specific rights, duties, protections, and benefits in the United States. It serves as a foundation of fundamental rights derived from and protected by ...
of Polish descent who had immigrated into Poland. In November of the same year, their son Krzysztof was born. Despite an unhappy partnership, the couple went on to have a second child, Zofia. Their poor financial situation led to Rafał's artist father helping them out. In 1923 he bought for them a chalet called "Marysin".
Rafał Malczewski was an associate and friend of a group of artists, musicians and intellectuals who would congregate in the
Mountain resort
A mountain resort is a place to holiday or vacation located in an elevated and typically at least relatively isolated area. The term resort implies integral hotel or inn accommodations, restaurants, and either or both sports facilities or sceni ...
of Zakopane in the early part of the 20th century. They included
Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz
Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz (; 24 February 188518 September 1939), commonly known as Witkacy, was a Polish writer, painter, philosopher, theorist, playwright, novelist, and photographer active before World War I and during the interwar period.
...
,
Karol Szymanowski
Karol Maciej Szymanowski (; 3 October 188229 March 1937) was a Polish composer and pianist. He was a member of the modernism (music), modernist Young Poland movement that flourished in the late 19th and early 20th century.
Szymanowski's early w ...
,
Kornel Makuszyński
Kornel Makuszyński (; 8 January 1884 – 31 July 1953) was a Polish writer of children's literature, children's and Young adult literature, youth literature. Dorota Piasecka. ''Proza Kornela Makuszyńskiego dla młodego odbiorcy: zarys problematyk ...
,
Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz
Jarosław Leon Iwaszkiewicz (; also known under his literary pseudonym Eleuter; 20 February 1894 – 2 March 1980), was a Polish writer, poet, essayist, dramatist and translator.Bartłomiej Szleszyński, Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz. 2003 Culture.plJ ...
. In 1932 he joined the "Rhythm Association of artists (Stowarzyszenie Artystów Polskich "Rytm") and was a set designer for productions of
Strindberg
Johan August Strindberg (; ; 22 January 184914 May 1912) was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist, and painter.Lane (1998), 1040. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg wrote more than 60 play ...
and
Stanisław Witkiewicz at the ''Formistyczny Theatre'' in Zakopane. In 1937 he was awarded the "Wawrzyn Akademicki" award from the
Polska Akademia Literatury
The Polish Academy of Literature () was one of the most important state institutions of literary life in the Second Polish Republic, operating between 1933 and 1939 with the headquarters in Warsaw. It was founded by the decree of the Council of ...
"for services to Polish art". 1938 he donated part of his artistic output to the newly re-opened
National Museum of Warsaw
The National Museum in Warsaw (, MNW) is a national museum in Warsaw, one of the largest museums in Poland and the largest in the capital. It comprises a rich collection of ancient art (Egyptian, Greek, Roman), counting about 11,000 pieces, an ext ...
to which, several years earlier on account of his material difficulties, he had sold the entirety of his father's work left to him by Malczewski Sr.
Travels

In 1939 after the
outbreak of World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated, with many nations mobilisin ...
, having already abandoned his wife and children, he escaped over the
Slovak border, with his partner Zofia Mikucka, and via
Budapest
Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...
and
Venice
Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...
made his way to
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
. There he fell on the generosity of the Polish embassy to help him out of another financial difficulty. In 1940 they travelled on to
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
and
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
, where they stayed for four months. At the beginning of 1941 they moved to
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
. At first they stayed in
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...
where he was able to sell some of his paintings which consisted of water colour landscapes of Rio,
Curitiba
Curitiba () is the capital and largest city in the state of Paraná (state), Paraná in Southern Brazil. The city's population was 1,773,718 , making it the List of cities in Brazil by population, eighth most populous city in Brazil and the larg ...
and of
Parana.
In 1942 they moved to Curitiba to stay with his cousin, Maria Bochdan-Niedenthal. Shortly after, he succeeded in obtaining Canadian visas for himself and his girlfriend, Zofia, to travel to
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...
. By December 1942 he held his first Canadian exhibition in the
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) is an art museum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the largest art museum in Canada by gallery space. The museum is located on the historic Golden Square Mile stretch of Sherbrooke Street west.
The MMFA ...
. He managed to persuade the
Canadian railways to sponsor him and Zofia to travel across
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
and the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
in search of artistic subjects in exchange for publicity scenery. He spent the winter of 1943 in the
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in great-circle distance, straight-line distance from the northernmost part of Western Can ...
, which led to a series of canvases that kept him supplied for many exhibitions until 1949. A stay in
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
in 1950 was fruitful enough for further sales of his work.
Despite developing problems with his sight, like his father before him, the ensuing years saw a great flowering of his painting and writing. After his wife, Bronislawa died in Warsaw in 1953, he finally married Zofia Mikucka. A stroke in 1957 led to a partial paralysis which obliged him to give up painting in oils, but he was able to continue with water colours. He managed to obtain sponsorship from the CIA-controlled
Radio Free Europe
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a media organization broadcasting news and analyses in 27 languages to 23 countries across Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the Middle East. Headquartered in Prague since 1995, RFE/RL ...
and from
Quebec City
Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...
. In 1959 the daughter of Zofia Malczewska-Kondracka invited him to visit Poland. Despite great nostalgia for the south of the country, he resolved to remain in Canada, but his journey was described in his memoir, ''Wspomnieniach z Polski'' and serialised in the
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
émigré paper,
Wiadomości
''Wiadomości'' (, ) is a Polish daily television news program that was produced by public-service broadcaster Telewizja Polska (TVP) and was broadcast on TVP1 from 18 November 1989 until 19 December 2023. The main edition was broadcast dail ...
. From 1961 he was kept by his daughter, Zofia, and three years later, in 1964 his last exhibition took place in
Montreal
Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
. He died and was buried there in 1965.
Characteristics of his art
Magdalena Małetko has emphasised several pointers to understand Malczewski's art. His successful artist father wished him to have a more reliable career than his own. While at the University of Vienna Malczewski studied
Freud
Sigmund Freud ( ; ; born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for evaluating and treating pathologies seen as originating from conflicts in t ...
and
psychoanalysis
PsychoanalysisFrom Greek language, Greek: and is a set of theories and techniques of research to discover unconscious mind, unconscious processes and their influence on conscious mind, conscious thought, emotion and behaviour. Based on The Inte ...
as part of the philosophy course, but he failed to complete his degree. He never got over the death of his close friend and climbing partner Bronikowski, who died on a climb they did together in 1917. His first marriage was an attempt to get over his grief and was loveless, and more of a duty due to Bronisława's pregnancy. Painting came to him instinctually as he watched his prolific father working in his studio. Malczewski was an artist difficult to categorise, although he developed his own distinctive style. This has been called "hyper realism" (Witkacy) and "naive". His themes were predominantly empty vistas, mountain scenery, snowscapes and glassy lakes. He also did portraits, cartoons and a series of rally cars and industrial scenery in
Silesia
Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...
. The great hiatus of his life was leaving his family and his beloved Zakopane in 1939. Three years later he had settled in Canada having travelled through Southern Europe and Brazil, where his palette responded to the colour and light. His later life was a struggle with increasing blindness and paralysis which allowed him only to use water colour, alongside his writing, which he managed to do until his death.
His work was part of the art competitions at the
1932 Summer Olympics
The 1932 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the X Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1932) were an international multi-sport event held from July 30 to August 14, 1932, in Los Angeles, California, United States. The Games were held du ...
and the
1936 Summer Olympics
The 1936 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XI Olympiad () and officially branded as Berlin 1936, were an international multi-sport event held from 1 to 16 August 1936 in Berlin, then capital of Nazi Germany. Berlin won the bid to ...
.
Selected exhibitions and awards
Malczewski's first public show was with
Witkacy at Garlinski's Salon in Warsaw in 1924.
Solo shows followed in:
* Zakopane (1926)
* Warsaw (1928, 1929, 1935, 1938)
* Kraków (1930, 1932)
*
Łódź
Łódź is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located south-west of Warsaw. Łódź has a population of 655,279, making it the country's List of cities and towns in Polan ...
(1935)
*
Katowice
Katowice (, ) is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Katowice urban area. As of 2021, Katowice has an official population of 286,960, and a resident population estimate of around 315,000. K ...
(1938)
* Montreal Museum of Arts ( 1942)
* Corcoran Gallery,
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
(1944).
* Dominion Gallery (1949) Washington, D.C.
As a member of the Society for the Propagation of Polish Art Abroad, he participated in the following group exhibitions:
*
Prague
Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
and
Helsinki
Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...
(1929)
* Vienna and Paris (1928)
*
Brussels
Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
and
The Hague
The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...
(1929)
* Budapest and
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...
(1930)
* Venice (13th Biennale) and
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
(1932)
*
Moscow
Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
,
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
, and
San Francisco
San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
(1933)
* New York (1933)
*
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
(1936)
*
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
(1938)
*
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...
(1942)
*
Detroit
Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
(1945)
*
Montreal
Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
(1954)
Among the many awards he received were:
* President
Ignacy Mościcki
Ignacy Mościcki (; 1 December 1867 – 2 October 1946) was a Polish chemist and politician who was the country's president from 1926 to 1939. He was the longest serving president in Polish history. Mościcki was the President of Poland when Ge ...
prize 1930
* Golden laurel of ''Polska Akademia Literatury'' 1937
* Gold Medal for his ''Wiosna w górach''
Spring in the mountains"at the Paris
1937
* ''The Visual Arts Prize'' of Paris-based Polish-language monthly, ''
Kultura
''Kultura'' (, ''Culture'')—sometimes referred to as ''Kultura Paryska'' ("Paris-based Culture")—was a leading Polish-émigré literary-political magazine, published from 1947 to 2000 by ''Instytut Literacki'' (the Literary Institute), in ...
'' 1962.
Selected written work
In his writing Rafał Malczewski evoked the atmosphere of
interbellum
In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period, also known as the interbellum (), lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days) – from the end of World War I (WWI) to the beginning of World War II ( ...
Zakopane:
* ''Od cepra do wariata'',
rom Lowland Dweller to Madman* ''Narkotyk gór. Nowele tatrzańskie'',
Addicted to mountains. Tatran novellas"(1928)
* ''Tatry i Podhale''
The Tatras and their Foothills"(1935)
* ''Góry wołają''
The Mountains Beckon"(1939).
* ''Pępek świata. Wspomnienia z Zakopanego'',
The Navel of the World. Memories of Zakopane"
References
Further reading
*
*
*
* Contains illustrations and quotes from Malczewski family, including Rafał.
External links
Paintings by Rafał MalczewskiArtists in Canada - Canadian Government entry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Malczewski, Rafal
1892 births
1965 deaths
20th-century Polish painters
20th-century Polish male artists
Artists from Kraków
Painters from Montreal
Polish landscape painters
Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts alumni
People from Zakopane
Writers from Kraków
Writers from Montreal
Polish male writers
Polish emigrants to Canada
Canadian painters
Polish mountain climbers
Art competitors at the 1936 Summer Olympics
Art competitors at the 1932 Summer Olympics
Polish male painters
20th-century Polish writers