Władysław Drapiewski (12 November 1876, Gacki – 30 December 1961,

Pelplin Pelplin () is a town in northern Poland, in the Tczew County, Pomeranian Voivodship. Population: 8,320 (2009). Pelplin is located in the ethnocultural region of Kociewie in Pomerania. It is home to one of the finest collections of medieval art ...

) was a Polish painter who was one of the best-known creators of religious paintings in the first half of the 20th-century in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

Biography

He initially studied painting and graphics with Antoni Szymański. He left for

Kevelaer Kevelaer (; Low Rhenish: ''Käwela'') is a town in the district of Kleve, in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. It is the largest Catholic pilgrimage location within north-western Europe. Over one million Marian devotees, mostly from Germany and ...

in 1899, where he studied at the International School of Church Painting headed by Friedrich Stummel. Painting was taught there in accordance with the artistic assumptions of the

Nazarene movement The epithet Nazarene was adopted by a group of early 19th-century German Romantic painters who aimed to revive spirituality in art. The name Nazarene came from a term of derision used against them for their affectation of a biblical manner of c ...

. At the same time, he traveled 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 ...

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 ...

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

and

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, studying in places such as the Academy of Arts in Berlin and

Académie Julian The () was a private art school for painting and sculpture founded in Paris, France, in 1867 by French painter and teacher Rodolphe Julian (1839–1907). The school was active from 1868 through 1968. It remained famous for the number and qual ...

.Dorota Kwiatkowska "Sztuka konserwacji" Rzeczpospolita 1 January 2009
/ref> After returning to Poland, he was involved in the creation of a polychrome interior of the

Płock Cathedral Płock Cathedral (), or the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Masovia, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in the city of Płock, in central Poland. It is an example of 12th-century Romanesque architecture and is the oldest and most important hi ...

Płock Płock (pronounced ), officially the Ducal Capital City of Płock, is a city in central Poland, on the Vistula river, in the Masovian Voivodeship. According to the data provided by Central Statistical Office (Poland), GUS on 31 December 2021, the ...

. This happened because, after the competition was settled in 1901, the design of

Józef Mehoffer Józef Mehoffer (19 March 1869 – 8 July 1946) was a Polish painter and decorative artist, one of the leading artists of the Young Poland movement and one of the most revered Polish artists of his time. Life Mehoffer was born in Ropczyce ...

was chosen, but bishop Jerzy Józef Szembek had reservations about the liturgical issues posed and the work was stopped in the absence of an agreement. In the meantime, the bishop of Płock was Apolinary Wnukowski, who was presented the project of Drapiewski, whose work gained the approval of both the bishop and the chapter. To help with such a large project, he employed the Luxembourgian painter . The painted characters of the polychrome gave the faces of people such as Tadeusz Korzon,

Władysław Smoleński Władysław Smoleński (1851–1926) was a Polish historian, author of many books and articles, and a professor of the Warsaw University. Further reading * External links

* 1851 births 1926 deaths 20th-century Polish historians Polish ...

and

Stanisław Tarnowski Count Stanisław Tarnowski (7 November 1837 – 31 December 1917) was a Polish nobleman (''szlachcic''), historian, literary critic and publicist. Life He was born on 7 November 1837 and hailed from an aristocratic family. His father was Ja ...

. As a background, he created a panorama of Płock, with the young residents of the city posed for the image of angels, among others

Mira Zimińska Mira Zimińska (1901–1997) was a Polish stage and film actress. She was the founder and long-time director of the Mazowsze folk group. In 1954 she married Tadeusz Sygietyński. After his death in 1955 she became a director of Mazowsze.Anna M ...

. A specific self-portrait of the artist is the figure of saint. Placed on the cathedral polychrome was

Saint Peter Saint Peter (born Shimon Bar Yonah; 1 BC – AD 64/68), also known as Peter the Apostle, Simon Peter, Simeon, Simon, or Cephas, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the first leaders of the Jewish Christian#Jerusalem ekklēsia, e ...

. In 1914, during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, he was arrested and sent to the depths of the Russian Empire, and Czesław Idźkiewicz, his student and assistant, continued his work at that time. His brothers Leon (1885-1970) and Kazimierz (1889-1978) helped him with many projects, and later their sons. In total, he made wall polychromes in 122 temples, the largest in

Mazovia Mazovia or Masovia ( ) is a historical region in mid-north-eastern Poland. It spans the North European Plain, roughly between Łódź and Białystok, with Warsaw being the largest city and Płock being the capital of the region . Throughout the ...

and areas located east of it. In addition to temples, he also adorned the interiors of public buildings, including in the Marshal Stanisław Małachowski High School in Płock.Polichromie Drapiewskiego odsłonięte w płockiej "Małachowiance", Dzieje - portal historyczny, 24 października 2010
/ref> In 1928,

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

awarded him with the

Papal Lateran Cross The Lateran Cross () is a medal for recognition of merit. It was bestowed by the Cathedral chapter of the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran with authorisation of the Holy See. History The Lateran Cross was commissioned by Pope Leo XIII, and in ...

. The critical attitude to historical aesthetics meant that the work of Drapiewski was contemptuously referred to as "drapiewszczyzną", which was identified with

provincialism Parochialism is the state of mind whereby one focuses on small sections of an issue rather than considering its wider context. More generally, it consists of being narrow in scope. In that respect, it is a synonym of " provincialism". It may, pa ...

and lack of taste. From 1918, he lived permanently in

. Being displaced in 1943 due to

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he went to the abbey near Opactwo and stayed there until 1946. In 1958,

Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII (; born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli; 2 March 18769 October 1958) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death on 9 October 1958. He is the most recent p ...

awarded the artist with the Commander's Cross of the

Order of St. Gregory the Great The Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great (; ) was established on 1 September 1831, by Pope Gregory XVI, seven months after his election as Pope. The order is one of the five Papal order of knighthood, orders of knighthood of th ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Drapiewski, Władysław 1961 deaths 1876 births People from Pelplin People from Świecie County Knights Commander of the Order of St Gregory the Great 20th-century Polish painters 20th-century Polish male artists Pages with unreviewed translations Polish male painters