Sister Maria Stanisia, S.S.N.D., (May 4, 1878 – January 28, 1967) was an American Catholic nun, artist, and painter, member of the

School Sisters of Notre Dame School Sisters of Notre Dame is a worldwide religious institute of Roman Catholic sisters founded in Bavaria in 1833 and devoted to primary, secondary, and post-secondary education. Their life in mission centers on prayer, community life and mi ...

Early life

Monika Kurkowska was born on May 4, 1878, in Poland. Taken with author's permission from She was one of twelve children brought to the United States in 1881 on board the liner, ''Strassburg'', by her parents Franciszek, a wood carver, and Katarzyna Kurkowski. They changed their surname to "Kurk" after arriving in the United States. They were originally from the German partition of Poland. The family became members of the St. Stanislaus Polish parish where Monika attended its elementary school. She went on to the Academy of Our Lady before she left home to study with count Tadeusz Żukotyński in Munich. Żukotyński, an artist born in Poland, taught Stanisia to paint religious art, including murals.

Early career

She returned to the United States in 1893 and three years later, following a religious calling she had felt since she was a young girl, she moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin and entered the

under a new religious name, ''Mary Stanisia''. She spent the next three years in the

novitiate The novitiate, also called the noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a Christian ''novice'' (or ''prospective'') monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether ...

of the religious congregation. In March 1899, Sister Mary Stanisia took her Final vows at St. Mary's in

Michigan City, Indiana Michigan City is a city in LaPorte County, Indiana, United States. It is one of the two principal cities of the Michigan City-La Porte, Indiana Metropolitan statistical area, which is included in the Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City Combined sta ...

. In the same year she painted '' The Sacred Heart of Jesus'', her first known painting. Stanisia taught art at Our Lady of Lourdes Academy in Marinette, Wisconsin, and gave private art lessons beginning that fall. She taught there until 1905, when she was assigned to St. Mary's Academy in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, where she spent the next two years. In 1907, Sister Stanisia was assigned to the Academy of Our Lady in Chicago, where she had studied as a girl. She established an art studio, large enough to create murals, and became director of the school's

Fine Arts In European academic traditions, fine art is developed primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from decorative art or applied art, which also has to serve some practical function, such as pottery or most metalwork ...

program.

Further training

Beginning in 1916, Stanisia continued her artistic studies at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). She studied murals with John W. Norton, landscape with

Frank Charles Peyraud Frank Charles Peyraud (1 June 1858, Bulle, Switzerland - 1 May 1948, Highland Park, Illinois)Biography by Nancy Peyraud @ the Illinois Historical Art Project, was an American landscape painter of French-Swiss origin. He worked in a modified Im ...

, figure painting with Wellington J. Reynolds, and portraiture with

Leopold Seyffert Leopold Seyffert ca. 1910 Leopold Gould Seyffert (January 6, 1887 – June 13, 1956) was an American artist. Born in California, Missouri and raised as a child in Colorado and then Pittsburgh, his career brought him eventually to New York City, ...

. Albin Polasek taught her sculpture. Stanisia graduated with a

Bachelor of Fine Arts A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a standard undergraduate degree for students for pursuing a professional education in the visual, fine or performing arts. It is also called Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA) in some cases. Background The Bachelor ...

degree in 1919, having exhibited in each of the school's annual shows. The 1917-1918 SAIC catalog was illustrated with her painting, ''Her Great Grandmother's Wedding Gown''. Stanisia studied under Robert Clarkson between 1915 and 1922 and studied in Provincetown, Massachusetts, one summer with Charles Webster Hawthorne. While Stanisia was studying art, she was also pursuing her education in philosophy. She graduated from DePaul University in 1922 with a Bachelor of Philosophy degree.

Career

As a mature artist Stanisia painted commissions for portraits, murals, and religious-themed works. She painted a large central panel for an

altarpiece An altarpiece is an artwork such as a painting, sculpture or relief representing a religious subject made for placing at the back of or behind the altar of a Christian church. Though most commonly used for a single work of art such as a painting o ...

at the Basilica of St. Hyacinth, based upon a work designed by Zukotynski there. It is perhaps the earliest large panel of her career. She also did works for the Churches of

St. Stanislaus Kostka Stanisław Kostka S.J. (28 October 1550 – 15 August 1568) was a Polish novice of the Society of Jesus. He is venerated in the Catholic Church as Saint Stanislaus Kostka (as distinct from his namesake, the 11th-century Bishop of Kraków S ...

and

Holy Cross Holy Cross or Saint Cross may refer to: * the instrument of the crucifixion of Jesus * Christian cross, a frequently used religious symbol of Christianity * True Cross, supposed remnants of the actual cross upon which Jesus was crucified * Feast ...

in Chicago, which are built in the so-called Polish Cathedral style. In 1926, she exhibited four paintings at the Eucharistic Congress in Chicago, which was held to promote of Catholic Eucharistic art. The exposure resulted a significant increase in commissions. Around 1926 Stanisia completed a

Stations of the Cross The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Way of Sorrows or the Via Crucis, refers to a series of images depicting Jesus Christ on the day of Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion and accompanying prayers. The station ...

cycle on the South Side of Chicago for St. Margaret of Scotland Church. She created about fifty works of art, including portraits and murals, over the next four years. In 1929 she established an art department at Mount Mary College, part of her congregation in Milwaukee, while continuing to direct the program in Chicago. She established the Art Guild of Chicago the following year, based at Longwood. Her paintings included, ''Portrait of Bishop

John F. Noll John Francis Noll (January 25, 1875 – July 31, 1956) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Fort Wayne from 1925 until his death in 1956. Noll was active in national church organizations. In 1912, he foun ...

'', of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

, ''

St. Theresa Saints named Teresa include: *Saint Teresa of Ávila (1515–1582), or Teresa of Jesus, Spaniard, founder of the Discalced Carmelites, and Doctor of the Church *Saint Thérèse of Lisieux (1873–1897), or Teresa of the Child Jesus, French Discalce ...

'', ''the Sacred Heart of Jesus''. The American Art Society commissioned her to paint a portrait of

Pope Pius XI Pope Pius XI ( it, Pio XI), born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti (; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939), was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 to his death in February 1939. He was the first sovereign of Vatican City fro ...

, which hung at the former Holy Family Academy in Chicago. In 1934, she also painted a portrait of Edward Kelly, Mayor of Chicago, and in 1933 of Governor Horner of Illinois. Stanisia was one of many nuns who were able to integrate their spiritual life with their artistic practice. This resulted in the creation of a purely American Catholic art, with its own icons and style. Her work was exhibited in 1925 at the Eucharistic Congress. In 1930, her work was exhibited at the Gallery of Wisconsin Art held by '' The Milwaukee Journal''. She won a silver medal at The Warsaw International Fair of 1932. In 1935, her work was shown in Evanston, Illinois at the Davis Galleries.

Death

She died on January 28, 1967, in Elm Grove, Wisconsin, after a brief spell in the Notre Dame Infirmary. She was buried there at the Sisters' cemetery.

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Collections

* Adrian College, Michigan * Holy Cross Church, Chicago * St. Joseph's Hospital, Chicago * St. Margaret's Church, Chicago * St. Paul Cathedral, Minnesota * College of Cardinals, Washington, D.C.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stanisia, Mary 1878 births 1967 deaths American women painters Artists from Chicago People from Waukesha County, Wisconsin Polish-American culture in Chicago American people of Polish descent School Sisters of Notre Dame History of Catholicism in the United States School of the Art Institute of Chicago alumni DePaul University alumni Painters from Wisconsin 20th-century American painters 20th-century American women artists 20th-century American Roman Catholic nuns Catholics from Wisconsin Nuns and art Female Catholic artists Catholic painters