Tadeusz Pruszkowski

Plaque on the painter's former home on Lwowska Street in Warsaw

Tadeusz Pruszkowski (born April 15, 1888 in Borucice , Russian Empire ; died July 1, 1942 in Warsaw ) was a Polish portrait painter and university professor. He was the rector of the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw and was shot by the German occupiers in 1942.

Life

In 1904, at the age of 16, he began his artistic training at the Szkoła Sztuk Pięknych in Warsaw. There he was a student of Konrad Krzyżanowski . From 1908 to 1911 he continued his studies in Paris . During this time he also traveled to Switzerland and Algeria. In Paris, Pruszkowski learned to appreciate the portraits of the painters Frans Hals and Diego Velázquez, which were shown in museums .

After his return to Poland he co-founded a group of artists, the "Młoda Sztuka". Based on the ideology of this association, he then served in the Polish legions for two years during the First World War until 1917 .

In 1918 he became an assistant and in 1922 a professor at the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts . From 1930 he took over the role of rector of this university and in 1932 he was appointed rector. During the occupation of Poland by German troops in World War II , Pruszkowski worked underground. He was arrested on June 30, 1942 and executed by the Germans on July 1. Important students of Pruszkowski were Jan Betley , Bolesław Cybis , Edward Kokoszko and Felicjan Kowarski .

groups

Pruszkowski was a member or founder of various artist groups of the time, including Młoda Sztuka and the Rytm Association . The Brotherhood of St. Luke (Polish: "Bractwo Świetego Łukasza" or "Bractwo św. Łukasza"), an association of Polish painters, was founded in 1925 by students at his faculty under the direction of Pruszkowski. The first newly formed artists' association at Warsaw's most important art school since the First World War was active until 1939. The 14 members included Boleslaw Cybis, Jan Gotard , Antoni Michalak , Jeremi Kubicki and Jan Zamojski . The brotherhood adopted statutes inspired by the medieval guilds of St. Luke - with a chapter (Polish: Kapitula ) and ceremonial occasions. The artistic direction was also based on earlier techniques and ideas. The Dutch painting of the 16th and 17th centuries in particular shaped the style of the group.

From 1923 onwards, Pruszkowski held an annual painting seminar in Kazimierz Dolny . In 1925 he initiated the establishment of the Society of Friends of Kazimierz (German: "Towarzystwo Przyjaciół Kazimierza") with Stanisław Szepietowski . He had a villa built in the town by the well-known architect Lech Niemojewski . Thanks to his activities, Kazimierz Dolny soon became a favorite haunt of artists of the time. In 1938 Pruszkowski was given honorary citizenship of the city.

plant

Initially, Pruszkowski devoted himself to historical topics. He later specialized in portrait painting. He painted many personalities from politics and society, including Józef Piłsudski , Gabriel Narutowicz and Stanisław Wojciechowski . Also created still lifes . In addition to many group and solo exhibitions in Poland, Pruszkowski's works have also been shown abroad, for example at the XII. and XIX. Biennale in Venice in 1920 and 1934. Multiple The artist was awarded, he received in 1919 a medal of Warsaw for his influence on the culture of the city. There are works by him in the Muzeum Sląskie in Katowice .

References and comments

1. ^ Jan Zygmunt Gotard (1898–1943) was a Polish painter and graphic artist
2. ^ Antoni Michalak (1902–1975) was a Polish painter who specialized in sacred art and portraits
3. ^ Jan Zamoyski (1901–1986) was a Polish painter and art activist
4. ↑ according to Display of the Germanisches Nationalmuseum , p. 105
5. ↑ So the painting fish ( Memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. from 1924, according to Museum website  

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  Self-portrait with a pipe

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  Woman portrait 1921

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  Girl portrait

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  Veit Stoss

literature

• Katarzyna Kulpińska: Pruszkowski, Tadeusz . In: General Artist Lexicon . The visual artists of all times and peoples (AKL). Volume 97, de Gruyter, Berlin 2018, ISBN 978-3-11-023264-6 , p. 96 f.

Web links

• Irena Kossowska: Detailed biography of Tadeusz Pruszkowski at Culture.pl (in Polish), March 2002
• Tadeusz Pruszkowski in a group photo of Warsaw artists from the 1930s (Pruszkowski stands in the middle with his coat and cigarette)

Commons : Tadeusz Pruszkowski  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files