dawnotemu Kod Jana Matejki

Jan Matejko the brilliant Polish painter of historical scenes Everyone knows his works from history textbooks and various other books Or were we aware of the symbolism Matejko was trying to convey in his works All about that in today's episode First of all heartfelt thanks to you all for being with us Of course I encourage you to continue following our channel for a long time to come And they left their paws naturally raised upward Now we move on today's topic Jan Matejka's cat Everyone certainly knows the story of the Da Vinci Code that controversial book by Dan Brown And today we will delve into the creativity and life of Jan Matejko and how difficult his personal life was one hand on the other hand as he tried so hard to smuggle symbolic elements into his paintings So many symbolic elements ones we didn't fully realize were aware of So we're setting off on today's historical journey Let us return to the beginning of our story for we must tell a few words about the roots of Jan Matejko Few of us likely realized that Jan Matejko was partially of Jewish descent more precisely after the sword a Czech Bowie's father the painter Franciszek Xawery Matejko was actually Franciszek Xawery Matejka who was Czech A Czech born near the town of Hradec Králové who at a certain point in his life came to Galicia o work as a music teacher and governess And thus Matejka's father settled in Galicia He met his future wife Joanna Karolina Rosenberg after moving to Kraków Meanwhile Jan Matejki's mother had Polish-German heritage us we can briefly say that Jan Matejko was of Czech German and Polish descent It combined all three ancestral groups The father and mother naturally entered into a marriage and settled on the street Or on the street as linguists and Polish studies scholars say I'm correcting myself immediately Floriańska Street in Kraków one of the city's main beautiful avenues s beautiful Malopolska city and long-standing capital of the Polish state In the image we see Franciszek Matejka with the childre The figure marked by the red arrow is young Jan Matejko Some art critics consider this portrait slightly exaggerated slightly girl-like and somewhat appears to be a rather controversial likeness f we look at Matejka's later photographs and self-portraits we can see what Jan Matejka looked like as a child Jan Matejko was the ninth of eleven children born to the Matejko family When young Janek was seven years old his mother passed away And the death of a mother is an extremely traumatic experience It deeply impressed itself on young Jan's mind His childhood as he himself admitted later was filled with numerous fears and distresses In fact Jan Matejko's childhood was not particularly pleasant as Bowie's father who could be said in quotes to have ruled with a firm hand in Jan Matejko's family home He didn't pay much attention to whether his son had any problems Maybe he can help him or is everything alright with his son Janek had to take care of himself an exceptionally compelling proof of all this is At one point young Janek broke his nose in a unfortunate accident No one of course starting with his father showed any interest in helping young Janek recover his health o do something about that broken nose And the broken nose is clearly visible for instance in one of Jan Matejko's portraits where it is indeed skewed a result of that unfortunate accident The young man named Jan simply grew crooked and stayed that way At the age of 13 Jan Matejko enters the Kraków School of Fine Arts That's the later Kraków Academy of Fine Arts Back then the school was just getting off the ground We'll delve into the school's history in later parts of today's story Then in 1858 toward the end of December Matejko travels to Munich She attends the Academy of Fine Arts because she wants to develop her painting talent Already in Munich he is deeply impressed by the work of Paul de la Roche and Paul de la Roche's student Karl von Piloty These two artists in the history of painting are remembered as great creators of historical works This passion for creating historical works was already implanted in the young student Jan Matejko at this man without memory dedicated himself to creating historical works It should be added that the painter Jan Matejko initially wished to dedicate himself to sacred art Religious art No one in Munich ever changed the kaleidoscope of their interests by 180 degrees He dedicated himself to historical painting Why are we today sincerely and deeply grateful to him at he had dedicated himself to this form of painting In 1853 which places us in the second half of the 19th century He painted his first historical painting And briefly this historical painting is titled The Szujscy Princes Before Sigismund III But in reality what is the name of this painting—100% accurately what does it actually sound like The Carowie Szujscy were introduced by Hetman Stanisław Żółkiewski at the Warsaw Sejm before King Sigismund III Yes this is the title of the first historical painting Jan Matejko ever created And as you can see for yourselves the title isn't too short—it's quite elaborate That's also a technique used by Jan Matejka quite cleverly applied because in doing so the author subtly draws in the viewers and observers s work to the entire scene to the entire theme addressed in this performance At this moment we can already extract several very important elements just from the title itself which will be depicted in this image Let's move on leaving that first image behind as we need to mention this at image of the Tsars of the Shuisky dynasty standing before Sigismund III Vasa It is a kind of analogy in Jan Matejka's work Each of us has seen it at least once in life though I suspect not in person and in various literary accounts one could see figures such as the Hołd Pruski or Batory at Pskov In these grand paintings by Jan Matejko Poland is portrayed as the leading player As a country and its rulers they are naturally portrayed as those to whom homage is owed Of course on the Prussian Monument by Jan Matejko we see Albert Hohenzollern presenting the homage to Zygmunt the Old On the painting of the Battle of Pskov we see Stanisław Stefán dispersed Sorry Batorek who's sitting on a bear and its skin On the bear and the skin that is on the symbol of Russia the symbol of the Russian state So this image depicting the Tsars of the Shuisky dynasty standing before Sigismund III Vasa 's a kind of reference and analogy to those great outstanding events in the history of our nation We move on as were studying in Munich Jan Matejko studied his masters closely and extracted their techniques the way they convey certain emotions through their images He picked out the fact that certain dramatic moments in the history of individual countries can be highlighted displayed on the canvas in almost theatrical fashion One such example is the painting created in 1859 I'm referring here to the work titled "On the Poisoning of Queen Bony " It is precisely on this image that we see the central part of this wor e queen Bona who with almost theatrical reluctance seemed to be fully aware of it owing that as he reaches for the cup offered to him he also knows that within moments her life will end and yet I would drink poison It is an image exceedingly dramatic exceedingly heavy exceedingly dark of course this refers to a very dramatic almost tragic event at the same time we see very strong detail in Jan Matejka's work Even in the lines of her face and the expression on Queen Bona's countenance Of course the image depicts a historical event that took place in the year 1557 This the goblet I've already mentioned the one with the poisoned dr The queen's personal physician Antonio from Macerata provided it Near Bona in Jan Matejko's painting of course are also the Marynka cottages known as Mieszchówna and two observers from Zakhatory That mysterious observer gazes as if trying to see whether Bona will drink it what the priest offers her in the chalice yet at the last moment she reaches out and pushes the chalice away At the same time they removed the death sentence hanging over her In 1860 Jan Matejko left for Vienna but returned very quickly I'm going to publish something resembling a book very soon Something resembling a book as it is a publication titled Toilets in Poland from 1200 to 1795 In this painting Matejko illustrates how Poles dressed throughout the centuries It reflects his deep interest in history and at the same time it also reflects his immense knowledge His profound knowledge extends not only to history itself even if only the history of Polish civilization the history of Polish culture He must have spent a great deal of time conducting inquiries across various historical sources o give a rough idea for example the population in Poland She dressed in the style of the 14th 15th and later centuries We'll move on because if someone wants to obtain this book they can find it in many libraries Poverty is a persistent reality for many creators yet it remains an enduring part of their lives especially for painters And indeed Matejko was also for a time in his life in a difficult financial situation The second edition of Clothing in Poland and the sales of Kochanows The graves of Urszula and Bona slightly boosted Jan Matejka's budget He wasn't particularly thrilled about it Why You ask the question What good are full wallets to us if we don't have true love It sounded very romantic given how romantic the story was Matejko fell deeply passionately in love with Teodora Giebułtowska Yet she repeatedly rejected his advances No Matejko besides achieving some success in painting and creative endeavors He was utterly disappointed and unfulfilled in matters of love We will return to this highly controversial love later Now a few words about another of Jan Matejko's great works: Kochanowski by the Bier of Urszulka On this image the contrast is very clearly visible as the center of the work features a dramatic scene You remember mentioning the drama and tragedy in Jan Matejka's works don't you No it shows a scene of a father bidding farewell to his deceased little daughter Of course we're talking about Jan Kochanowski Everyone knows the poems of Jan Kochanowski and the story behind their creation Although if you're interested in the history of the train's creatio And other classics of Polish literature let me know in the comments We'll explore this issue further in upcoming episodes Back to the image of Matejka I mentioned that in the center there is a father with his deceased child Indeed And they are very striking If you pay attention to the background of this image to what lies behind Jan Kochanows And with Urszula you'll see it's completely blurred Shapes of various objects are visible but they're not sharp enough to draw our attention The viewer should focus on this tragic story of the deceased daughter and the father grieving at the coffin We move on for we are now in the year 1862 In the history of Jan Matejko this is a pivotal year That was when the artist released one of his most brilliant works Of course we're talking about Ziggy Stardust Matejko was 24 years old when he painted Stańczyk it should be noted 24 The painting was so rich in symbolism Let's move on and discuss the individual I've already mentioned—Stańczyk The image clearly depicts Stasia Gąska who in Polish history is known as Stańczyk He was the court jester of the last Jagiellons Stańczyk was known for his sharp wit and bold political jokes He became the hero of many anecdotes yet he was also credited with extraordinary wisdom and such a skill for seriously considering difficult international and domestic issues That is why in most depictions despite wearing a jester's costume Stańczy just in the posture of a thoughtful anxious and contemplative individual pondering the issues facing the Polish state Let's move on as the image contains several very important details which perfectly fit theme of Jan Matejka's code Matejko as I mentioned portrays Stańczyk as a thoughtful anxious man He's just worried about the loss of Smolensk In such temporal circumstances of course Stańczyk was placed in the very times he lived in And thus the Commonwealth truly lost Smolensk and on this image a keen observer's eye spots a ball taking place behind Stanczyk A party is taking place Nothing as if besides the fool who should be the first to jest merriment and laughter Nobody except him really cares that the Commonwealth lost Smolensk So the game continues in the background Meanwhile on the other side of the image as if at its opposite edge A comet is approaching foretelling swift troubles for the Commonwealth Of course the tower is visible as well so we can roughly locate the place where Stańczyk is on the map of Kraków Above all the most important aspect when portraying Stańczyk is his face And indeed your keen eye has surely already noticed this Stanczyk's face is Jan Matejka's face Matejko frequently used so to speak in Stańczyk's portrayals He used his own face giving Stanisław Stankiewicz his own visage What else do we see in this painting A nobleman sits lost in thought beside Stańczyk and notice too how his hands are intricately intertwined They express disapproval of everything happening at the Royal Court Amid all those neglects and failures A letter lies on the table at Stańczyk's There is a document stating: Samogitia Anno Domini 1533 Samogitia that is Žmudź The list of course refers to Žemaitija and those particularly sensitive areas which sparked intense debates and diplomatic clashes at the time Of course the loss of Smolensk is also a very important element of the entire story So you can see how many elements Matejko included in the painting titled Stańczyk on which it seems few of us have paid much attention until now Let's move on as Jan Matejka's next brilliant painting is Carrying immense symbolism and hidden meanings this is the Sermon on the Mount Matejko painting The Sermon on the Mount at the age of 26 achieves extraordinary success Another triumph However it should be noted that the admission revenue from the exhibition where the Sermon on the Mount was displayed Matejko gave his entire income to orphans In fact regarding Jan Matejko one should say that about Jan Matejko e wasn't particularly careful with money He couldn't bring himself to give them up nor could he form any real attachment to them So sometimes he would hand out the money rather freely But let's return to the Sermon on the Mount In the center of the blur unnoticed by almost everyone until now lies a glove No and the glove is symbolic because as everyone perfectly knows In olden times when someone issued a challenge to another they would throw them a glove The glove lies casually on the floor in a room filled with people And I am listening to the Sermon of Piotr Skarga The glove belongs to no one yet the glove lies beneath the feet of the magnates among others shown in the image Janusz Radziwiłł and Mikołaj Zebrzydows Stanisława Diabła-Stadnickiego The magnates I have mentioned as we know from historical records ey staged a rebellion against the king that is formed anti-royalist factio and it is precisely at their feet that Matejko throws down this gauntlet as if wanting to say at he openly opposes their actions and consequently what would follow in the subsequent years It became part of the Republic As for Father Skarga himself please note that the image is mostly darkened The priest Skarga's face and his uplifted hands are illuminated glowing An interesting technique used by Matejka to draw the viewer's attention precisely to that spot For the first time if we look at the image of the Sermon on the Mount Focus your gaze on the face and hands of Father Skarga Only later should one begin analyzing the subsequent parts of the same work We return to the personal life of Jan Matejko And in 1864 after selling the painting he was able to afford to marry Teodora So then Theodora probably noticed that Jan Matejko's wallet had become noticeably bulging No she graciously agreed to marry John From this marriage five children were born but let's move on as Janek probably somehow knows what life with Teodora has in store for him He wouldn't have been so quick to marry her otherwise She was already considered a wife in Kraków for a domineering quarrelsome and reckless person Sam Jan Matejko addressed his wife with great tenderness He'd call her things like "little star " "ma'am " or "my lady " When Theodora felt her position as a mistress was threatened she would stage drunken outbursts against her husband She pretended to faint or be ill Her face bears nearly all the features of the women in Matejka's paintings deed if we examine Jan Matejka's images particularly from the perspective of female representations The faces in the paintings are very similar to those of Jan Matejka Let's move on and show at least one example How about Barbara Radziwiłłówna for instance After all when we compare the photograph depicting Jan Matejko's wife that is Teodora Matejko Looking at the portrait of Barbara Radziwiłłówna depicted in this painting we can clearly see the striking resemblance Jan's wife had a profound influence on him the man who painted female figures and she would not allow any other woman to interfere She lent her face to those same female heroines Let's move on Since we have another major painting by Jan Matejko namely "Sobieski at Vienna " an immense and monumental work depicting the king I've already mentioned John III Sobieski the victor before Vienna There are of course several very important symbols and details Among them in the very center we see King John III Sobieski who relieved the pal chaplain Denhof of his duties He was an envoy of then Pope Innocent XI In that same letter John III Sobieski writes to the Pope saying it was he who drove back that Turkish horde from Vienna And at this moment Christian Europe is saved But pay attention to the expression on his face and the posture of John III Sobieski He is proud boastful about having accomplished such a great deed But another very important detail and element in this picture At least a rainbow The rainbow depicted in the upper portion of this work And beneath the rainbow a delicate white bird gently flying It is a dove The dove as a symbol of peace This is also a very powerful symbol contained within Jan Matejka's work depicting an almost mystical connection the physical battle and victory of John Sobieski at Vienna tied to this very cultural and civilizational history about the white dove a symbol of peace I encourage you to examine this image even more closely Now let's move on as Sobieski's campaign before Vienna is also connected to another very important story In 1883 the 200th anniversary of Vienna's Victoria was celebrated Matejko along with the Polish delegation then went to Rome with the painting of Sobieski at Vienna o present the work to Pope Leo XIII at the time The scene in which Jan Matejko presents Pope Sobieski in Vienna It was immortalized one of the Vatican's chandeliers And if you have been there or ever will be you've surely seen it but if you're at the Vatican Museums In the Vatican's Museum of Candelabra notice that one of them depicts exactly Polish artist Jan Matejko presenting his painting to Pope Leo XIII It is the year 1872 As I mentioned earlier in today's episode about the Battle of Pskov Of course this image is rich with profound symbolism even the bear skin beneath the feet of King Stephen Báthory yet this painting was sold He was sold for a considerable sum at the time—nearly 200 guilders An enormous amount How could such a sum have been so enormous We can imagine that when Matejko sold that very painting He bought himself a manor He bought a manor in Krzesławice And there to this day his museum is located So my dear followers of the art of painting you see that it is worthwhile to dedicate oneself to one's interests and passions It's worth creating works because perhaps one day one of you might be able to buy a manor with one of your creations The years 1872 to 1878 These are the years in which Matejko created one of his most famous works In popular works Works that measure 426 centimeters by 987 centimeters I'll remind you that 100 centimeters is a meter So you can calculate for yourselves just how immense this achievement was Of course we're talking about the Battle of Grunwald A great monumental symbolic work Of course if I were to speak here now about the symbolism of the Battle of Grunwald We'd have to spend a few more hours together But if the symbolism of the Battle of Grunwald interests you I'm fascinated by the entire story of the Battle of Grunwald—let me know in the comments We'll certainly expand on this topic in the next episode Of course other creators also referenced the Battle of Grunwald I have at least a caricature here A caricature by no one other than the famous Wyspiański This is precisely how Jan Matejka portrayed the Battle of Grunwald in his painting Naturally in the central part of this work We see the Teutonic banner And beyond that we see a great crowd fighting among themselves Quite vague and unspecific but that's roughly how Wyspiański imagined Matejki's Battle of Grunwald Another somewhat less well-known painting by Jan Matejko and also symbolic as the image is dedicated to the Holy Kingdom In a rather unconventional manner Matejko portrayed the Holy Queen First the model for Saint Kinga was Countess Katarzyna Potocka precisely the one shown in the photograph Notice that he left his wife behind Besides that kind of relationship was already practically extinct back then If you'd like to learn more about this topic then explore the biography of Jan Matejko What a whirlwind of adventures he had with his wife But back to Saint Kinga Saint Kinga was of course a princess in her youth a fact we also know from history After her husband's death she entered a religious order and took the habit And now in art Saint Kinga is depicted thus or as a young girl a young woman in a royal gown or as a mature older lady in a habit Meanwhile Matejko combined these two conventions in this painting as we see an elderly woman depicted here who is dressed in beautiful princely robes And in doing so Matejko broke a certain kind of symbolism e performances of Saint Kinga which also sparked considerable controversy when he unveiled his work to the world Let's move on leave the Holy Queen behind We also have the famous Prussian tribute I've already mentioned No a beautiful painting depicting a scene from the year 1525 when Albrecht Hohenzollern pledges allegiance to Zygmunt Stary And here Matejko took a slight liberty for he depicted this scene which takes place at the Main Market Square in Kraków by the Cloth Hall Your blind eye would surely spot the satchel But he made a blunder because at the moment When that homage was given the stalls didn't look like this The stalls we see today are not the same ave a Renaissance dimension Hence in a way seeking to apologize Matejko depicted the creator on the painting later Renaissance cloth halls Let us move on for we must say something about this artist Matejko showed Bartolomeo Bereccio the very creator of the later Renaissance cloth halls as a tribute to the effort he put into this beautiful Kraków building And he showed him with his youthful face So Berecci has Matejka's face Yet another figure on this painting is Jan Matejko's face Of course I'm talking about Stańczyk Stańczyk without Matejko's face simply couldn't exist Now my friends when it comes to the symbolism in Jan Matejko' s paintings we could talk at length but of course our episode but also its own timelines It should also be noted that Jan Matejko died in the year 1893 Having lived only 55 years Thousands of Kraków residents bid him farewell Thousands of Krakowians accompany him to the cemetery and at that moment Munta's little bell rings There is profound sorrow in Kraków That's all for today Of course I encourage you to subscribe to our channel o like to share impressions and of course to keep an eye out for the next episode in the series A long time ago