Katedra_Płocka_Polichromie_Władysława_Drapiewskiego

Władysław Drapiewski (12 November 1876, Gacki – 30 December 1961, Pelplin) 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 is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

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. More than 1 million pilgrims, mostly from Germany and t ...

in 1899, where he studied at the International School of Church Painting headed by

Friedrich Stummel Friedrich Franz Maria Stummel (20 March 1850, Münster - 16 September 1919, Kevelaer) was a German religious artist, associated with the Nazarene movement and the Düsseldorfer Malerschule. In addition to his own paintings, he created designs ...

. Painting was taught there in accordance with the artistic assumptions of the Nazarene movement. At the same time, he traveled to

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 ...

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

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

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 ...

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

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

.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 ( pl, Katedra Płocka), 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 ...

in Płock. This happened because, after the competition was settled in 1901, the design of Józef Mehoffer was chosen, but bishop 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 , 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 Tadeusz Korzon (1839—1918) was a historian specializing in the history of Poland. Biography Korzon was born to Polish parents in Lithuania, and as a youth he studied law at Moscow University. He took part in the January Uprising (1863-1865) ...

Władysław Smoleński Władysław Smoleński (1851–1926) was a Polish historian, author of many books and articles, and a professor of the Warsaw University The University of Warsaw ( pl, Uniwersytet Warszawski, la, Universitas Varsoviensis) is a public univer ...

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 Mi ...

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

Saint Peter Saint Peter; he, שמעון בר יונה, Šimʿōn bar Yōnāh; ar, سِمعَان بُطرُس, translit=Simʿa̅n Buṭrus; grc-gre, Πέτρος, Petros; cop, Ⲡⲉⲧⲣⲟⲥ, Petros; lat, Petrus; ar, شمعون الصفـا, Sham'un ...

. In 1914, during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, 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 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 ( 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 ...

awarded him with the Papal Lateran Cross. 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 Pelplin. Being displaced in 1943 due to

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

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

Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII ( it, Pio XII), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (; 2 March 18769 October 1958), was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death in October 1958. Before his e ...

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 ( la, Ordo Sancti Gregorii Magni; it, Ordine di San Gregorio Magno) was established on 1 September 1831, by Pope Gregory XVI, seven months after his election as Pope. The order is one of ...

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