Władysław Podkowiński | |
|---|---|
 Self-portrait, 1887 (age 21), fromSilesian Museum (Katowice) | |
| Born | 4 February 1866 |
| Died | 5 January 1895 (1895-01-06) (aged 28) Warsaw, Congress Poland |
| Notable work | Frenzy of Exultations (Szał uniesień) |
Władysław Podkowiński (Polish:[vwaˈdɨswafpɔtkɔˈvij̃skʲi]; 4 February 1866 – 5 January 1895) was a Polish master painter and illustrator associated with theYoung Poland movement during thePartition period.[1]
Podkowiński was born inWarsaw and began his artistic training atWojciech Gerson's drawing school, he then transferred to theWarsaw Academy of Fine Arts where he studied between 1880 and 1884. After graduating, Podkowinski began to contribute to many of the leading art journals in Warsaw at the time. In 1885, he travelled, along withJózef Pankiewicz, to theImperial Academy of Arts where he studied from 1885 to 1886. Returning from St. Petersburg in 1886, Podkowiński obtained a position of an illustrator for theTygodnik Ilustrowany magazine where he became one its most renowned artists.
His firstwatercolor andoil paintings were produced during this time, but Podkowiński still considered them personal, not a public endeavor. Those early paintings were mainly influenced byAleksander Gierymski. He adopted painting as a profession after a trip toParis in 1889, where he was profoundly influenced by FrenchImpressionist painters includingClaude Monet. Podkowiński was later credited for bringing the Impressionist movement to Poland, but toward the end of his life, his failing health inclined him towardSymbolism. He died in Warsaw at the very early age of 28 due totuberculosis.
His best known painting,Frenzy of Exultations (Szał uniesień), exhibited first inZachęta, is surrounded by theturn-of-the-century atmosphere of scandal and public outcry. In 1894, it was featured in a Warsaw art exhibition and violently criticized. The exhibition lasted only 36 days because Podkowinski brought a knife on the 37th day, and slashed his work on display. The painting was restored after his death[1] and is prominently exhibited at theSukiennice Museum inKraków.
Media related toWładysław Podkowiński at Wikimedia Commons Media related toSzał uniesień at Wikimedia Commons
