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Stanislaw Wyspianski
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Early Days:
Stanislaw Wyspiański was born to Franciszek Wyspiański and Maria Rogowska. His father, a sculptor, owned an atelier on Wawel Hill. His mother died of tuberculosis in 1876 when Stanislaw was seven years old. Due to alcohol problem, Stanislaw’s father could not fulfill his parental responsibilities. Stanislaw was adopted by his aunt Joanna Stankiewicz and her husband Kazimierz. The Stankiewicz family belonged to a bourgeois and intellectual class. In their house Wyspiański became acquainted with painter Jan Matejko, who was a frequent visitor. |
Career:
Matejko soon recognized that the boy had artistic talent and gave him the first artistic guidance. Wyspiański attended Saint Anne’s Secondary. The school was unique for several reasons. Firstly, although Polish language was forbidden in educational institutions under foreign rule, the lectures in Saint Anne’s Gymnasium were delivered in Polish. Secondly, the teacher’s goal was to equip the students with a thorough knowledge of Polish history and literature. Thirdly, the school graduates, which included Lucjan Rydel, Stanislaw Estreicher and Henryk Opienski, were considered prominent figures in Krakow’s cultural life. As a student Wyspiański did not display any specific talent, but took particular interest in art and literature. According to Joanna Stankiewicz, a young Stanislaw portrayed small village cottages, animals, plants, armors and decorations.
In 1887 Wyspiański enrolled in the Philosophy Department at the Jagiellonian University and the School of Fine Arts in Krakow. While studying at the University, he attended lectures in art, history and literature. Jan Matejko, the dean of the School of Fine Arts soon recognized Wyspiański’s talent and asked him to join in the creation of a polychrome inside the Mariachi Church.
The years 1890-1895 were devoted to traveling. Wyspiański visited Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Prague and France. The stay in France was regarded to be the major point in his artistic life. He studied at the private atelier Academie Colarossi. Since the school fee was very high, Wyspiański applied for a grant. During the stay in France he got acquainted with Paul Gauguin. Together they visited art museums, where Wyspiański was bewitched by the beauty of Pierre Puvis de Chavannes’s paintings.
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