Ideology: Renaissance and Baroque Art in Silesia in the Works of Polish Art Historians After 1945*
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
RIHA Journal 0216 | 30 June 2019 Under the Pressure of ‘Polonization’ Ideology: Renaissance and Baroque Art in Silesia in the Works of Polish Art istorians after !"#$* Andrzej &ozieł Abstract This article explores a neglected topic !olish research into the "arl# $odern period o% &ilesian art under &ocialis'( Although this epoch has never *een +uite as popular as the $edieval period as a su*,ect o% art historical research- its position was to %all victi' to the ‘re0!oloni1ation2 e3orts o% !olish art historians during the period a%ter &ilesia had *een incorporated into the !olish state( This paper gives an overvie. o% the nu'erous studies on Renaissance and 4aro+ue art and architecture that appeared in the period %ro' the di5cult 6rst years a%ter the &econd 7orld 7ar until the earl# 1960s- .hen the pheno'enon o% /!oloni1ation2 o% "arl# $odern &ilesian art *egan to su*side( It raises issues relating to the co'pati*ilit# o% 8o''unist and nationalist ideologies and see9s to give reasons for the stance ta9en by the art historians involved in the stor#( )ontents :escription o% the Pheno'enon Reasons and Ai's o% the ‘Poloni1ation’ Ideolog# "valuation :escription o% the !heno'enon ;1< 7hen- as a student- I 6rst accessed the three0volu'e catalogue o% the 'onu'ents o% 7roc=a. co'piled in >er'an *# ?ud.ig 4urge'eister and >@nther >rund'ann1 in the li*rar# o% the Institute o% Art Histor# at 7roc=a. Ani)ersit#- '# attention was drawn to the large nu'*er o% !olish language co''entaries and notes written in pencil in the 'argins o% the pages BCigs( 1, 2). * A frst )ersion o% this article in !olish .as pu*lished in 201E- see Andr1e, Fo1ie=- G/!oloni1acja2 no.oH#tne, s1tuki na IlJsku . pracach polskich histor#9K. sztuki po 19LE ro9uM- in 4aro9( Historia N ?iteratura N &1tu9a 22 (201ED- no( 2 BO LLD- 1L9-161( N Anless other.ise indicated- all translations are 'ine( 1 ?ud.ig 4urge'eister and >@nther >rund'ann- Die Funstden9'Pler der &tadt 4reslau [Art Historical $onu'ents o% the 8it# o% 7roc=a.<- )ols. 1-3- 4reslau 1930-193L BO Die Funstden9'Pler der !ro)in1 Qiederschlesien 1D( RIHA Journal 2016 | 30 June 2019 All written *# the sa'e hand- the# 'ainl# too9 the %or' o% short co''entaries- interpolations and e'phases- though so'e o% the' .ere length# enough tota9e up the entire %ree space a)aila*le around the printed text and illustrations in the *oo9( 1 Hand.ritten co''entar# *# $arian $orelo.ski on a text a*out the architecture o% the 8hurch o% the Rirgin $ar# on &and Island in 7rocła.- in ?ud.ig 4urge'eister and >@nther >rund'ann- Die Funstden9'Pler der &tadt 4reslau [Art Historical $onu'ents o% the 8it# o% 7rocła.<- )ol( 1- 4reslau 1930- 211S cop# 9ept in the li*rar# o% the Institute o% Art Histor# at the Ani)ersit# o% 7rocła.- shel%'ar9 2ET9 (photograph pro)ided *# the authorD 2 Hand.ritten co''entar# *# $arian $orelo.ski GA( Fo.alski ein !oleUM- in ?ud.ig 4urge'eister and >@nther >rund'ann- Die Funstden9'Pler der &tadt 4reslau- )ol( 1- 4reslau 1930- 13ES cop# in the li*rar# o% the Institute o% Art Histor# at the Ani)ersit# o% 7rocła.- shel%'ar9 2ET9 (photograph pro)ided *# the authorD RIHA Journal 0216 | 30 June 2019 ;2< As I read their content- '# initial curiosit# increasingl# turned into perplexit#( &yste'aticall# and with great passion- the notes descri*ed the !olish roots o% the artists and patrons enu'erated in the catalogue- as well as o% the persons depicted in the 'onu'ents the# had co''issioned and created( The notes e'phasi1ed the 'erits o% creative !olish individuals andruthlessl# uncovered and ridiculed an# anti0!olish /errors2 that had *een 'ade *# the authors o% the catalogueS the# even went so %ar as to clai' to 6nd !olish %acial %eatures in the 6gures represented in the wor9s( At 6rst I thought that the text were a pran9 played *# one o% the older students at the institute( 4ut it was not long *e%ore I learned that the author o% these notes and co''entaries was no less a person than the late pro%essor at the Aniversity’s Institute o% Art Histor#- $arian $orelows9i B1884–1963). It soon *egan to dawn on 'e that these disparaging co''ents written on the pages o% the >er'an catalogue were no rando' hoax *# an eccentric pro%essor o% art histor#- *ut a s#'pto' o% a 'ore pro*le'atic pheno'enon- na'el# the /!oloni1ation2 o% &ilesian art that %or'ed part o% the scholarl# output o% Polish art historians a%ter 1945. ;3< This sha'e%ul strand in the !olish histor# o% art- which constitutes the *ac9drop o% a .ider pro*le' usuall# descri*ed in !olish as *adania 1achodnie B7estern researchD N in contrast to the >er'an Wst%orschung B"astern studiesD N has so %ar not *een reXected upon in an# su*stantial wa# *# art historians( $ore i'portantl#- the %e. existing articles on the topic B'ainl# written *# Ada' ?a*uda- *( 1946)2 have pri'aril# %ocused on issues related to wor9s o% 'edieval art in &ilesia( That is wh# I .ill concentrate in this article on an issue that has *een neglected up to no. the earl# 'odern period in the histor# o% &ilesian art and its !olish researchers( Although this epoch was ne)er as popular a research topicas the $iddle Ages a'ong art historians- it was to %all )icti' to the /re0 !oloni1ation2 e3orts o% !olish art historians- particularl# during the period a%ter &ilesia beca'e politically incorporated into the Polish state( 2 Ada' &( ?a*uda- G!olnische Funstgeschichtsschrei*ung und die /7iederge.onnenen >e*iete2M ;!olish Art Historiograph# and the /Regained Territories2<- in Deutsche Wst%orschung und polnische 7est%orschung i' &pannungsfeld )on 7issenscha%t und !oliti9( :isziplinen i' Rergleich ;>er'an "astern &tudies and !olish 7estern &tudies in the Tensions *et.een Research and !olitics. T.o Disciplines 8o'pared<- eds. Jan $( !is9orski- JYrg Hackmann and Rudol% Ja.orski- Wsna*r@ck and !o1naZ 2002 BO Deutsche Wst%orschung und !olnische 7est%orschung 1D- 13E-1E9S see also $arta ?eśnia9o.ska- G!olska historia sztuki i nacjonali1'M ;!olish Art Histor# and Qationalism<- in Qacjonali1' . sztuce i historii sztuki 1TV9–19E0 ;Qationalism in Art and Art Histor# 1TV9–19E0<- eds. Dariusz Fonstant#no.- Ro*ert !asieczn# and !iotr !as1kie.icz- 7ars1a.a 199V- 330E9 LL0LES ".a 8ho,ecka- G/!olnische /7est%orschung2 und das &#ndro' des "isernen Rorhangs” ;!olish /7estern &tudies2 and the &#ndro'e o% the Iron 8urtain<- in Die Funsthistoriographien in Wst'itteleuropa und der nationale Diskurs [Art Historiographies in "ast 8entral "urope and the Qational :iscourse<- eds. Ro*ert 4orn- Alena Janat9o)\ and Ada' &( ?a*uda- 4erlin 200L- L110L22S ".a 8ho,ecka- G7pro.ad1enieM ;Introduction<- in &1tu9a >Krnego IlJska od średnio.iecza do 9oZca ]] .ie9u [Art in Apper &ilesia %ro' the $iddle Ages to the "nd o% the 20th 8entur#<- ed( ".a 8ho,ecka- Fato.ice 200L- T-1V 1L0 1E( RIHA Journal 2016 | 30 June 2019 ;L< $iec1#s=a. ^lat (1927–2014), in his detailed ela*oration on !olish post0war research into &ilesian art- showed that in the #ears 1945 to 1964 at least EL studies were pu*lished devoted to the periods o% the Renaissance and 4aro+ue( 3 The lion’s share o% these wor9sis 'ade up o% 'onographs enco'passing a .ide spectru' o% topics ranging %ro' a stud# onJan Tur1o-L *ishop o% 7roc=a. (all na'es 'entioned in this text %ollo. !olish orthographical conventionsD- to papers on such architectural 'onu'ents as the !iast 8astle in 4r1eg-E the town hall in 7roc=a.-6 the town hall in ?u*aZT or the %or'er 'onaster# o% the Knights o% the 8ross with the Red &tar in 7roc=a.V( $onographs devoted to particular artists include wor9s on sculptors Andr1e, 7alter I and Jan Jer1# Ar*aZs9i-9 painters "1echiel !aritius and Jer1# 7ilhel' Qeunhert110 or engravers o% the &trachows9i 3 $iecz#s=a. ^lat- G!olskie *adania nad sztu9J IlJs9a . latach 19LEN196LM ;!olish Research on &ilesia2s Art 19LE–196L<- in 4iulet#n Historii &1tuki 2T (196ED- 93-10L( &ee also JK1e% >_*c1a9- G4i*liografa historii sztuki na IlJs9u 1a lata 19LE-1963M ;4i*liograph# o% &ilesian Art Histor# %or the !eriod 19LEN1963<- in Roczniki &1tuki IlJskie, E (196TD- 1-120( L "xhausti)el# in Janina &'acka- GJan Tur1o hu'anista i 'ecenas 9ultur# renesanso.e,M ;Jan Tur1o as a Hu'anist and !atron o% Renaissance 8ulture<- in Roczniki &1tuki IlJskie, 2 B1963D- TT-91( E Jer1# `o'nicki- GRe1#dencja !iastK. IlJskich . 4r1eguM [The Residence o% the &ilesian !iasts in 4r1eg<- in 4iulet#n Historii &1tuki 1T (19EED- 3T1-3T2S &tanisła. Fra'arc1#9- GRenesanso.a *udo.a 1a'9u piasto.skiego . 4r1egu i ,e, t=o histor#czneM [The Renaissance 4uilding o% the !iast 8astle in 4r1eg and its Historical 4ackground<- in 4iulet#n Historii &1tuki 2L (1962D- 323-3L3S $iecz#sła. ^lat- G4ra'a 1a'9o.a . 4r1eguM [The 8astle >ate.a# in 4r1eg<- in 4iulet#n Historii &1tuki 2L (1962D- 2VL-322S $iecz#sła. ^lat- 4r1eg- 7rocła. 1960( 6 "xhausti)el# in $arcin 4u9o.ski and $iecz#sła. ^lat- Ratusz .rocła.ski [The 7rocła. To.n Hall<- 7roc=a. 19EV( T Tadeus1 4ronie.ski- GRenesanso.# ratusz . ?u*aniu IlJski'M [The Renaissance To.n Hall in ?u*aZ IlJski<- in Te9a Fonser.atorska 3 (19E6D- 103-116( V The earliest is in $arian $orelo.ski- GArchitektura 7roc=a.skiego g'achu Wssolineu'M [The Architecture o% the Wssolineu' 4uilding in 7roc=a.<- in &pra.o1dania 7rocła.skiego To.ar1#st.a Qau9o.ego T B19E2D- 3L-3V( 9 "xhausti)el# in Janusz F_*=o.ski- G^e studiK.