Wojciech Kossak

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Wojciech Kossak at work (photo from 1897)
Self-portrait of the young Wojciech Kossak in the Uhlan uniform of the kk Landwehr Uhlans from 1878
This excerpt from the depiction of the crossing of the Beresina by Napoleon's troops is typical of the painting style of Kossak in his Berlin period

Wojciech ("Adalbert") Kossak , also Adalbert Ritter von Kossak (born December 31, 1857 in Paris , † July 29, 1942 in Krakow ) was one of the most important panorama, battle and portrait painters of the late 19th and early 20th centuries .

life and work

Wojciech Kossak was born on December 31, 1857 as the son of the famous Polish painter Juliusz Kossak (1824–1899) in Paris . From the age of 14 onwards, he dealt extensively with painting. He studied in Krakow (from 1871), Munich (from 1873) and Paris (from 1877). At the end of the 19th century, he first became famous for creating large circular paintings , which were very modern at the time. Between 1893 and 1894, Kossak and Jan Styka (1858–1925) and other painters created the Panorama of Racławice , a large circular painting depicting the victory of the Polish troops in the Battle of Racławice on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Kościuszko uprising ( 1794). This work became an artistic and commercial success and made Kossak widely known.

Wojciech Kossak Olszynka Grochowska , around 1931 National Museum Warsaw

Berlin time

In 1895 he moved to Berlin , where he lived until 1902. Here he worked with Julian Fałat (1893–1929) initially on the painting " The Crossing of the Beresina by Napoleon's Troops " , which was first exhibited on April 1, 1896. Today this painting can be viewed in Wroclaw . This was followed in 1901 by the painting “ The Battle at the Foot of the Pyramids ” in collaboration with Michał Wywiórski . In addition, Kossak was also successful as a portrait painter , where he also created pictures of the emperors Franz Joseph of Austria-Hungary and Wilhelm II . The latter was friends with Kossak and said he was a "nice and dashing guy and a brilliant painter" . The favor of the German emperor brought Kossak further orders, for example. B. for the large painting “ Attack of the Guard du Corps in the Battle of Zorndorf ” (1899). In 1899 he received a small gold medal at the Great Berlin Art Exhibition .

World wars

Kossak became a professor at the Art Academy ( Szkoła Sztuk Pięknych ) in Warsaw in 1913 and then took part in the First World War. As a war painter he was assigned to the Austro-Hungarian war press headquarters (until November 5, 1918). After the war he came into contact with influential personalities such as Marshal Ferdinand Foch and Józef Piłsudski , whom he also portrayed. Otherwise he lived in the United States from 1923 to 1924 and 1928 to 1932 . Especially after the First World War, the focus of his work was on the various topics of Polish history and contemporary history. He died on July 29, 1942 in Krakow.

Offspring and relatives

The descendants of Kossak also achieved greater prominence. His son Jerzy Kossak (1886–1955) also became a painter, and his daughters Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska (1891–1945) and Magdalena Samozwaniec (1894–1972) were well-known writers . His niece Kossak-Szczucka , the daughter of his twin brother Tadeusz Kossak, was also a writer and an important Polish resistance fighter.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Complete directory of the members of the Künstlerhaus Wladimir Aichelburg: 150 years Künstlerhaus Vienna 1861-2011 , on wladimir-aichelburg.at, accessed on February 8, 2015
  2. ^ Anna Baumgartner: A Polish national painter at the Prussian court. Wojciech Kossak and his rediscovered painting Battle of Zorndorf (1899) . In: zeitenblicke 10, No. 2, December 22, 2011, accessed on February 7, 2015
  3. ↑ Quoted from: Frank Bauer: The Battle of Zorndorf August 25, 1758. Battle and paintings. Potsdam 2005, p. 35.
  4. ↑ The picture was lost since 1944, was restored in 2004/05 and is now in the E.ON AG building in Potsdam , see: Frank Bauer: The Battle of Zorndorf August 25, 1758. Battle and painting. Potsdam 2005, pp. 27-33.
  5. ↑ List of members of the kuk war press quarter on wladimir-aichelburg.at, accessed on January 29, 2014

literature

Web links

Commons : Wojciech Kossak  - collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Kossak, Wojciech
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Kossak, Adalbert
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Polish painter
DATE OF BIRTH December 31, 1857
PLACE OF BIRTH Paris
DATE OF DEATH July 29, 1942
Place of death Krakow