Polish artist. Polish folk painting. Idyllic landscapes of Endless Summer. Kasia Domanska

Marta Zamarska is a contemporary Polish artist and part-time qualified English teacher.
In 2008 she graduated from the Warsaw Academy fine arts, Faculty of Painting, receiving a diploma with honors. There the artist worked under artistic direction Professor Krzysztof Wachowik (painting), Professor Dorothy Grinzel (batik, textile art), Dr. Piotr Zuber (theoretical part).

The driving force of art. Anna Bocek

"There is no doubt that the main driving force in art, theater has become the most important source inspiration and spiritual experience for me, both for the viewer and for the artist. Both aspects are equally important to me, at least now (no one knows what will happen next). The first and, perhaps, the most important factor that influenced and still directly influences the themes of my paintings is the attitude not so much to the theatrical space itself, but to the person existing in it and living by its rules.

Idyllic landscapes of Endless Summer. Kasia Domanska

“Endless Summer” is a series of paintings by Kasia Domanska with realistically depicted, carefree scenes of coastal recreation. Sea wind, blue sky and golden sand. On top of all this splendor are colorful towels and blankets in the hands of tanned, beautiful women with graceful bodies. A series of works by Kasia Domanska are essentially idyllic landscapes with idle people. We see inflatable mattresses, colorful drinks, ice cream lollipops, dresses fluttering in the wind and simple but elegant hairstyles.

Inside a person. Justyna Kopania

"Art is my refuge, life, poetry, music, the best cigars, delicious, strong tea, everything that makes up my life. My art reflects the world, which I perceive a little differently from everyone else. I paint people I have met, love, nature, which I admire and, in general, all the things that influence my worldview. Man is the main source of my inspiration and he is also. main theme my paintings. I want to transfer not only him to canvas appearance and manners, but also the psyche, relationships, emotions, as well as all the complex processes that occur both outside and inside a person.

Oil painting. Agnieszka Wencka

Agnieszka Wencka is a contemporary Polish artist, born on January 3, 1978, in the village of Ovcheglow. Like many artists, she began drawing in childhood, so it is not surprising that after graduating high school she, as a promising artist, received an invitation from the University. Adam Mikievich and entered the art department (oil painting) of this institution.

Photos or paintings? Dariusz Zejmo

The talented Polish artist Dariusz Zejmo was born in Kozuchow, Poland, a small town in the west of the country, in 1966, and studied at the art department of the University. Nicolaus Copernicus in Toruń, upon completion of which he received a diploma in painting. Professionally engaged in book illustration and postcard design, he has created more than 170 works.

Orange-red portraits. Elzbieta Brozek

Elzbieta Brozek modern Polish artist, who creates mainly portraits of women, preferring to use red and orange tones in her paintings. In some cases she paints in a realist technique, while in others you can see the influence of the symbolism of the Austrian artist Gustav Klimt.

One of the most popular Polish artists of the 20th century, Zdzislaw Beksinski, almost never gave titles to his works. Partly because of this, his post-apocalyptic paintings are perceived as a kind of whole world. A world of horror, despair or whatever else you see in these paintings. The dark corridors of life attract the viewer's attention, so Beksiński throughout his entire career creative life was favored by popularity, mainly in Western Europe, Japan and USA. However, this did not save him from death at the hands of crazy teenagers.

Beksinski tried himself in many genres: sculpture, photography, graphic art, and turned to painting in the 1960s. The first paintings were painted in the spirit of abstractionism, later surrealistic motifs began to dominate. The author himself believed that he must achieve such a level of skill that the viewer would be convinced that he was photographing dreams. This explains the maximum detail, the saturation of the picture with semantic elements. By the way, the Pole did not have any artistic education.

The most famous period in his work, the so-called “fantastic” period, continued until the mid-1980s. Phantasmagoric works of this time were dominated by infernal landscapes, nightmarish figures and sinister supernatural architecture. At the same time, the artist argued that most of his works are funny and should not cause internal rejection.

Beksinsky wrote all his canvases exclusively to the sounds classical music(because he couldn’t stand silence) on canvases prepared with his own hands. In the 90s, he became acquainted with digital technologies and focused his attention on this area.

Beksinski lived with his wife Zofia and son Tomasz in Warsaw. In the last years of the 20th century, a series of misfortunes overtook him. His wife died of cancer, and a year later Tomas, an acclaimed translator, popular music journalist and gothic rock fan, committed suicide. He was a big fan The group Legendary Pink Dots, and after he committed suicide, all the covers of the Polish editions of the albums of this group were designed digital works Beksinski in memory of Tomasz.

On February 22, 2005, Beksinski, at the age of 75, was found dead at the door of his own apartment. There were 17 stab wounds on his body. This atrocity was committed by the 19-year-old son of the artist's housekeeper and his friend, after Zdzislaw refused to lend them money.

There are many paintings in Polish painting historical topics, incl. about Russia and Russians. Below is a selection of the most interesting of them. These pictures are worth seeing, friends. They reveal quite brightly national mentality and the attitude of Poles to their past. And to our beloved eastern neighbor, in particular.

Artist in Polish - artysta malarz. Artist-painter, in short. However, the Poles had many talented craftsmen, far from being painters. For example, Jan Matejko and his “romantic nationalism” of the 19th century, battle painter Wojciech Kossak and others. Some paintings are anti-Russian in meaning. But let's not forget that recent years 300 in almost all wars, Russians and Poles were on opposite sides of the barricades.

Jan Matejko. "Stanchik." 1862
1514, another war between Poland and Muscovy. The Russians recaptured Smolensk, and, inspired by their first success, invaded Belarus. But there they were defeated in the battle of Orsha. There is a victory ball in the palace of the Polish king. True, Smolensk as a result of the war remains in the hands of Muscovy. Everyone is dancing (in the background), and the court jester named Stanczyk sits and thinks about the future of Poland. They gave away Smolensk, so we’ll merge everything soon.

An interesting detail: the ball is a European entertainment. The year is 1514, and they are having a ball. In Russia, the first balls at court will take place in 200 years, under Peter.

Jan Matejko. "Stefan Batory near Pskov." 1872
The jester Stanczyk was right. The Muscovites started from Smolensk, then they wanted more. The picture shows the Livonian War, which Ivan the Terrible started to seize the Baltic states. Siege of Pskov by the army of the Polish king Stefan Batory. After several months of siege, Ivan the Terrible's ambassadors sued for peace: in the picture they are crawling on their knees in front of Stefan. There are questions about the plot (in fact, there was no such meeting between Batory and the ambassadors near Pskov), but peace was soon concluded, yes. And really extremely unsuccessful for Russia, like the Livonian War itself.

Interesting detail. To the left of Stefan is a man in red, this is Chancellor Jan Zamoyski. Stefan Batory's classmate University of Padua in Italy. In Russia, the first royal person who will go to study in the West will be Peter (to become a carpenter, to Holland). By the way, even before Stefan Batory, Nicolaus Copernicus, the first world-famous Polish scientist, went to Padua to study. The Russian analogue of Copernicus (Lomonosov) will appear in 250 years.

Tsar False Dmitry I, portrait unknown artist. Beginning 17th century
This painting is also known as “Portrait from the Vishnevetsky Castle” (the castle of the family of Marina Mnishek, the wife of False Dmitry). IN Time of Troubles The Poles managed to put their impostor tsar in the Kremlin. In the painting, Grigory Otrepiev, aka False Dmiry I, is depicted as a Russian Tsar (written in Latin as Demetrius IMPERATOR), on the table there is a crown and a knight’s helmet.

False Dmitry I and his Polish wife, 1605-1606. But guess what: the Polish gentry already learned Latin, built castles and considered themselves part of the European knighthood. Russian nobles will put on European dress, begin to learn languages and claim that they, too, are Europe - in 5-7 generations.

False Dmitry, however, did not sit on the throne for long. He was overthrown as a result of a popular riot in Moscow. It is interesting to compare the pompous Polish portrait of the impostor with the way False Dmiria was depicted in Russian painting of the 19th century.

Karl Wenig. " Last minutes life of False Dmitry I". 1879

The artist Karl Bogdanovich Wenig hardly thought that in the 21st century his painting would become an inexhaustible source of parodies of Russian domestic and foreign policy :)

When False Dmitry I was overthrown, the Poles launched a direct intervention and captured Moscow. They also captured Vasily Shuisky (the king who was after False Dmitry) along with his brothers, and everyone was taken to Warsaw. There, the former king, who had previously fought with the Poles, was forced to publicly swear to King Sigismund III and kiss his hands.

Jan Matejko. "Tsar Shuisky in the Sejm in Warsaw." 1892
Royal Castle in Warsaw, 1611. Vasily Shuisky bows to Sigismund, touching the ground with his hand. On the left, apparently, is his brother Ivan, who (according to Polish sources) was generally lying at his feet and beating his head on the floor. In the background sit members of the Sejm (Polish parliament) with a feeling of deep satisfaction. The flags are flying, the bright sun is shining. Triumph!

This event was called “Hołd Ruski” (Russian oath) in Poland and has a cult character in the circles of Polish nationalists. Below is a creative from one of them. Written: "October 29, 2011 - 400 years of the Russian oath. Once THEY bowed to us".

In fact, the artist Jan Matejko painted this picture in 1892 to encourage his compatriots. Like, there were times when we had our own state, and the king, and the Sejm, and they brought the kings to their knees.

It is noteworthy that the king in Poland was not at all the same as the king in Russia. Poland did not know autocracy. It was a republic of the gentry. Sejm chose king and controlled him. Taxes, war, peace - all with the consent of the Sejm. Moreover, if the king behaved undemocratically, the proud gentry had the right to rokosh. He's boiling. Those. the right to opposition to the king, both peaceful ("war of inkwells" and discussion on blogs) and non-peaceful.

Vaclav Pavliszak. "Cossack gift" 1885
The Zaporozhets captured the noble captive and gives him to the nobles, taking off his hat in front of them. It’s not surprising, some of the Cossacks were in Polish service (for money). They were used as mercenaries to supplement the Polish army. Including repeatedly - in wars against Russia. As for the prisoner, this is apparently Crimean Tatar. This is of course a bummer. The main business of the Crimean Khanate was the slave trade. And then you yourself get captured...

Thanks to the gentry, democracy and freedom in Poland have centuries-old traditions (unlike some other countries). But the truth is, there was one nuance. All liberties were for a narrow circle. They did not affect the peasants. Peasants in Poland from the 15th century were converted into serfdom. And they remained in such a sad state for about 300 years. They were called chlopi(claps) and also bydlo(cattle). The word "cattle" then came from Poland through Ukraine into the Russian language.

Joseph Helmonsky. "Issuing payment (Saturday at the farm)". 1869 G.
Folwark - Polish corvée. Pan forced the khlops to work for himself for free or through forced employment (for example, by first driving them off the land and leaving them without funds). The picture shows a farm on payday. A group of peasants in the center received pennies and were terrified - how to feed their children with these pennies? The two claps on the left, on the other hand, are cheerful. We've already gotten drunk.

It’s interesting that the gentleman’s house, even with such stripping, is still miserable, the roof has completely collapsed. This is a subtle hint from the artist - the gentry were famous for their squandering. They squeezed bread out of the farms, sent them abroad, and spent the money on all sorts of bullshit. War, drinking and show-off - that was the mentality of the nobleman. Dear carriage, a sable fur coat with gold buttons, and to the ball, dance the polonaise :)

Alexander Kotsis. "In the tavern." OK. 1870
While the gentry danced at the balls, the clap had only to go to the tavern. It was a popular business. For example, V.I. Lenin’s great-grandfather Moshe Blank from the city of Starokonstantinov in Volyn was a shinkar. In 1795, under the third partition of Poland, Volyn, together with Moshe Blank and his tavern, went to Russia.

However, in the triad of “war, drunkenness and show-off” among the Polish elite back in the 17th century. There were problems with the war. No, the Poles have never been cowards in war. The problem was in the organization. War is the convening of a general militia of the gentry ( the destruction of the commonwealth), and this is through the Sejm. And the money for the war is also the Sejm. Such decisions were not easy to carry out, which weakened Poland's combat capability. When in 1648 the whole of Ukraine was swept by the Khmelnytsky uprising, the Poles were initially able to field a modest army of only 40 thousand people. Behind her was a convoy of 100 thousand carts with junk and 5000 women lung behavior. We went to war as if we were going to a wedding. And they were completely defeated by the Cossacks.

The decline of Poland began with the Khmelnitsky uprising. The neighbors began to bite off pieces of it here and there. And in the end, at the end of the 18th century, they divided it completely. Moreover, they bribed the Sejm and he himself voted for it!

Jan Matejko. "Reitan - the decline of Poland." 1866
The Sejm in 1773 decides to agree to the division of Poland. The nobleman Tadeusz Reitan, the last patriot of Poland, is desperately trying to prevent this: he lies down at the exit, preventing the deputies from leaving after the meeting. Many deputies are ashamed, they just sold their country. On the wall is a portrait of Catherine II (their sponsor), behind the door are Russian grenadiers, upstairs in the box is the Russian ambassador Repnin with two ladies. This is indeed the decline of Poland!

The Polish people, of course, did not accept the decline of Poland. There were several major uprisings suppressed by the partitioning powers. 100,000 Poles-volunteers took part in the campaign of Napoleon’s “Grand Army” against Moscow in 1812, hoping to gain independence.

Wojciech Kossak. "Hussar of the Great Army". 1907
The picture shows a Pole from Napoleon's army. The artist himself served as a lancer in the army, so he painted cavalry with skill.

More Wojciech Kossak. "Spring 1813". 1903
The snow has melted... And there are the remains of the brave cavalrymen.

Another interesting fact: the Poles fought for Napoleon not only in Russia, but also in Spain, crushing the guerrillas (Spanish resistance to the French). To earn independence for themselves, the Poles deprived the Spaniards of it.

Januarius Sukhodolsky. "Storming the Walls of Zaragoza." 1845
In 1808, Zaragoza rebelled against the French occupiers. She was besieged for 9 months. Everyone fought, women and children. 50 thousand people died . In the picture the Poles are breaking into the city.

Januarius Sukhodolsky. "Battle of San Domingo" 1845
This is not Spain. This is Napoleon's punitive expedition to the island of Haiti (then the colony of San Domingo). There, local blacks rebelled against the French, and the Poles came along with the French to pacify the blacks.

Wojciech Kossak. "November Night" 1898
This is the anti-Russian uprising of 1830-31. It began in November 1830 with a rebel attack on the Belvedere Palace in Warsaw (the residence of the governor of Poland). The picture shows a battle between the rebels and Russian cuirassiers on the night of November 29-30, 1830.

The rebels took the palace, but the governor escaped. The uprising was suppressed in 1831 by the troops of Field Marshal Ivan Paskevich, who received the title “Prince Ivan of Warsaw” for this. Paskevich was, perhaps, the first Ukrainian in the Russian army who rose to the rank of marshal.

Wojciech Kossak. "Emilia Plater in the Battle of Siauliai." 1904

This is again the uprising of 1830-31. In the center of the picture is Countess Emilia Plater, something like the Polish Joan of Arc. The Countess commanded a detachment of rebels and personally participated in the battles. During one of the campaigns she fell ill and died at the age of 25. Legendary personality in Poland (as well as among Belarusian nationalists).

Wojciech Kossak. "Circassians in Krakowskie Przedmieście." 1912
This is an anti-Russian uprising of 1863. It is also called the January Uprising. Krakowskie Przedmieście is an avenue in Warsaw. Russian troops burst into the city. Latest artist depicted as a horde of Circassians rushing through the city with an Orthodox banner. True, Circassians are Muslims, but that doesn’t matter. The Circassians fire into the air with all types of weapons, wave their whips, and passers-by run away.

A strong thing...By the way, the film was originally called “Dagestan wedding on Tverskaya” (joke).

"The Russian army robs a Polish estate during the January Uprising." Unknown Polish artist of the 19th century.
The author tried to portray Russian soldiers and officers as repulsive as possible. A horde of savages is rampaging in a cultured European home, a child has been thrown out of a stroller, and paintings are being bayoneted.

Arthur Grotger. "The Path to Siberia". 1867
Participants in the 1863 uprising were driven to Siberia.

Alexander Sokhachevsky. "Farewell to Europe." 1894
Polish rebels of 1863 on the way to Siberia. We reached the obelisk on the border of Europe and Asia. The artist himself was a participant in the uprising and received 20 years of hard labor (he is somewhere here in the picture, by the way, near the obelisk).

One of the strong fragments.

Alexander Sokhachevsky. "Pani Gudzinskaya". 1894
This real character, a participant in the uprising who was exiled to the saltworks near Irkutsk (like the author of the picture). She left behind a husband and 2 children in Warsaw. She worked as a laundress at the salt mines, doing laundry all day long in an ice hole in the Angara. She died in hard labor in 1866.

Jacek Malczewski. "Death on stage." 1891
More horrors of the Tsarist gulag.

Jacek Marcelski. "Vigil in Siberia". 1892
Vigilia is a night vigil for Catholics before Easter or Christmas. Polish exiles in Siberia are faithful to their native Catholic faith. By the way, the exiles at the table look quite decent - well-fed, in suits and white shirts.

Stanislav Maslovsky."Spring 1905." 1906
This is already the revolution of 1905-1907. It also affected Poland. In the picture, the Cossacks, acting as the royal riot police, are leading the arrested man. Contrast between the convoy and the prisoner: four heads on horses leading one little man.

Wojciech Kossak. "Pogrom". 1907
The revolution of 1905 was accompanied by a wave of Jewish pogroms, incl. in Poland. The picture shows a Russian Cossack in uniform and with weapons against the backdrop of a pogrom. Houses are burning, corpses lie on the pavement. However, the Cossack in this case- NOT a representative of law enforcement. He himself is a pogromist. This is exactly what the artist Wojciech Kossak wanted to say. This, they say, is the Russian army: bandits and murderers.

Soldiers and tsarist police were indeed involved in a number of pogroms, for example in Bialystok (1906). However, there were also plenty of pogromists among the local population. They just didn’t make it into Kossak’s picture... And the revolution of 1905 never brought freedom to Poland. I had to wait until 1918.

Wojciech Kossak. "Ulan escorts Russian prisoners." 1916
This is the first world war. On horseback is a volunteer from the so-called. Polish Legion of the Austrian Army. Approximately 25 thousand Polish nationalists entered the service of the Austrians and fought on their side on the Eastern Front. These legionnaires later formed the backbone of the officer corps of independent Poland.

In November 1918, after the surrender of Germany and Austria, Poland's independence was finally restored. And immediately a series of wars began over borders in the East. First, the Polish-Ukrainian war of 1918-19, in which the Poles utterly defeated the Ukrainian nationalists. Then the Soviet-Polish war of 1920, in which the Poles defeated the Red Army too. The war had varying degrees of success, and the turning point came when Tukhachevsky’s troops had already reached Warsaw (“Miracle on the Vistula”). This war, which in Poland is called Polish-Bolshevik, left a significant mark on local art.

Wojciech Kossak. "Soviet enemy"
Again a horde of savages, one with a bottle instead of a saber. Note the figure of the murdered civilian on the left (over whom the girl is crying). One to one figure from the painting "Pogrom".

Jerzy Kossak. "Miracle on the Vistula on September 15, 1920". 1930
Jerzy Kossak is the son of Wojciech Kossak. The painting is dedicated to the counter-offensive of the Polish army near Warsaw in August 1920. Soviet troops were surrounded, the Polish capital was saved. The picture shows an unstoppable attack of the Poles, supported from the air by aircraft and Jesus Christ.

Jerzy Kossak. "Chasing the fleeing commissioner." 1934
The commissioner in a red shirt is ticking away from the Polish lancers.

The revived Poland (the Second Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, as it is called) lasted only 21 years. It all ended in 1939.

Jerzy Kossak. "Battle of Kutno". 1939
With checkers on tanks: lancers against the Wehrmacht. This is from the “one rifle for five” series, a Polish version. Tanks of an unknown model, hatches on the side where cavalrymen throw pikes...

Jerzy Kossak. "Battle of Kutno". 1943
Certain incomprehensible moments in the first version of the painting forced the artist to rewrite it several years later.

After 1945, Poland entered the Soviet bloc and socialist realism began there. Something like this:

Julius Studnitsky. "Stakhanovka Gertrude Vysotskaya." 1950
The box on the left says Centrala rybna. Chieffish!

It wasn't all that fun, though.

Felix Kai-Krzewinski. "Polish prisoners on the way to Siberia." 1940

Felix Kai-Krzewinski. "Hungry Steppe. Kazakhstan." 1945
Deported Poles to Central Asia. The painting is supposedly the artist's sister Elisabeth Krzewinska.

Jerzy Zielinski. "Smile, or 30 years, or ha-ha-ha", 1974
Famous painting in pop art style. The sewn lips symbolize censorship and the communist dictatorship in Poland at the time. Moreover, three crosses are 30 in Roman numerals, just in 1974 the parish celebrated its thirty anniversary Soviet army to Poland (1944), which brought and new government. And finally, if you read it in Russian, it’s simple: Ha-Ha-Ha :)

In Polish painting there are many paintings on historical themes, incl. about Russia and Russians. Below is a selection of the most interesting of them. These pictures are worth seeing, friends. They quite clearly reveal the national mentality and attitude of Poles to their past. And to our beloved eastern neighbor, in particular.

Artist in Polish - artysta malarz. Artist-painter, in short. However, the Poles had many talented craftsmen, far from being painters. For example, Jan Matejko and his “romantic nationalism” of the 19th century, battle painter Wojciech Kossak and others. Some paintings are anti-Russian in meaning. But let’s not forget that for the last 300 years, in almost all wars, Russians and Poles were on opposite sides of the barricades.

To understand well everything that the artists reflected in the paintings, you need to understand one thing, the most important thing: there were no Poland and Russia. There was one state on the entire planet in which there was great war between the troops of the Government of that State ( White Guard, White Delo, White Order) and the rebellious Cossacks who were in the service of this Government. That is, subsequently the Red Army, which replenished its troops from nowhere with slave blacks who came from...

01.
Jan Matejko. "Stanchik." 1862
1514, another war between Poland and Muscovy. The Russians recaptured Smolensk, and, inspired by their first success, invaded Belarus. But there they were defeated in the battle of Orsha. There is a victory ball in the palace of the Polish king. True, Smolensk as a result of the war remains in the hands of Muscovy. Everyone is dancing (in the background), and the court jester named Stanczyk sits and thinks about the future of Poland. They gave away Smolensk, so we’ll merge everything soon.

Important point. The war begins in 1853. Therefore, we automatically transfer all the events presented in the paintings to the second half of the 19th or the beginning of the 20th century.
And we return the fictional characters and chronology free of charge to those who wrote it all. For memory .

An interesting detail: the ball is a European entertainment. The year is 1514, and they are having a ball. In Russia, the first balls at court will take place in 200 years, under Peter.

The detail about the ball is really interesting... Firstly, the Polish Gentry is the White Guard. Government troops. Legal. There is a riot in their Army. I doubt that in such circumstances they will be interested in balls. At least in the kind of unbridled fun that we are presented with. This means it is more likely that we're talking about about the reds. There they loved balls and dressing up simply maniacally. I can’t say who is in the picture. But I wouldn’t be surprised if the artist depicted the leader of the rebels, Elston. This one definitely didn’t care about the balls, and the person, insignificant for the plot of the picture, would hardly have been of interest to anyone.

02.
Jan Matejko. "Stefan Batory near Pskov." 1872
The jester Stanczyk was right. The Muscovites started from Smolensk, then they wanted more. The picture shows the Livonian War, which Ivan the Terrible started to seize the Baltic states. Siege of Pskov by the army of the Polish king Stefan Batory. After several months of siege, Ivan the Terrible's ambassadors sued for peace: in the picture they are crawling on their knees in front of Stefan. There are questions about the plot (in fact, there was no such meeting between Batory and the ambassadors near Pskov), but peace was soon concluded, yes. And really extremely unsuccessful for Russia, like the Livonian War itself.

Let's forget once and for all about Ivan the Terrible and Peter 1... there were no such people. At all. It's better about what's happening in the picture. This is how I see it. The picture shows defeated traitors. I won’t say what kind of clowns are banging their foreheads on the ground, apparently someone is very sorry for their skin, they are thinking of saving it. More interesting are the figures of the warriors. On the right is a man at arms standing with a dejected look (there is an interesting Cossack face nearby), and a figure in black. By the way, I have a feeling that this character was painted over with black. This spot stands out too much from the whole picture; the contours are drawn clumsily. It’s not at all clear what’s wrong with the hands. And the figure in the picture is important. I would say the key one. It is to this person that the views and attention of all other characters are directed. Someone is trying to look at him with interest from behind those standing closer, two Cossacks are whispering sarcastically, another one has deliberately turned away, the winged warrior standing behind has contempt on his face. (By the way, note that winged angels and warriors are not symbolism or allegory. Wings are military ammunition, we just have no idea how it worked and in what cases it was used. Before us is a whole winged army on the historical canvas. The author wrote that , which he knew well, being a participant in those military events). Look further. The Cossack next to the man in black has a whole flurry of emotions on his face. It seems that, contrary to the Charter and Discipline, he will now attack the traitor. In general, the whole appearance says one thing: “Hold me, guys! I’m not responsible for myself.” The older Cossack has a little pain behind him and a reproach on his face... In general, take a good look at everyone for yourself. Almost every character is focused by the artist on this man in black. Even the fact that Stefan and Jan Zamoyski (the names are very conventional) deliberately avoid looking directly at this man in black once again emphasizes that everything that happens in the picture is focused on this character. Stefan is supposedly looking at the man's companion, although his gaze is rather absent. With Jan Zamoyski it’s really interesting. Firstly, he is a figure from the foreground and separated from the rest. Important. Secondly, his external resemblance to the man in black is striking. Traitor brother? Judging by his left hand, frantically clutching something, and his gaze into “nowhere,” this Yang is more than indifferent to what is happening, but is trying to restrain himself. In general, I will not make my own speculations and further increase the amount of text; I will pay attention to only one more detail. What is returned to Stephen on a golden tray? Agree that for “gifts” from “suppliants for peace” this looks quite pathetic. But if this is an important item that was grabbed and now returned, then everything looks quite realistic. I wonder WHAT IS THIS?...

03.
Tsar False Dmitry I, portrait by an unknown artist. Beginning 17th century
This painting is also known as “Portrait from the Vishnevetsky Castle” (the castle of the family of Marina Mnishek, the wife of False Dmitry). During the Time of Troubles, the Poles managed to put their impostor king in the Kremlin. In the painting, Grigory Otrepiev, aka False Dmiry I, is depicted as a Russian Tsar (written in Latin as Demetrius IMPERATOR), on the table there is a crown and a knight’s helmet.

04.
Karl Wenig. "The last minutes of the life of False Dmitry I." 1879

I don’t have much to say here, except that the hero of the picture is very reminiscent of Felix Yusupov Jr..

The artist Karl Bogdanovich Wenig hardly thought that in the 21st century his painting would become an inexhaustible source of parodies of Russian domestic and foreign policy :)

05.
Jan Matejko. "Tsar Shuisky in the Sejm in Warsaw." 1892
Royal Castle in Warsaw, 1611. Vasily Shuisky bows to Sigismund, touching the ground with his hand. On the left, apparently, is his brother Ivan, who (according to Polish sources) was generally lying at his feet and beating his head on the floor. In the background sit members of the Sejm (Polish parliament) with a feeling of deep satisfaction. The flags are flying, the bright sun is shining. Triumph!

Here, in my opinion, the events echo the painting “Stephan Batory near Pskov.” Look carefully .

06.
Vaclav Pavliszak. "Cossack gift" 1885
The Zaporozhets captured the noble captive and gives him to the nobles, taking off his hat in front of them. It’s not surprising, some of the Cossacks were in Polish service (for money). They were used as mercenaries to supplement the Polish army. Including repeatedly - in wars against Russia. As for the prisoner, he is apparently a Crimean Tatar. This is of course a bummer. The main business of the Crimean Khanate was the slave trade. And then you yourself get captured...

Thanks to the gentry, democracy and freedom in Poland have centuries-old traditions (unlike some other countries). But the truth is, there was one nuance. All liberties were for a narrow circle. They did not affect the peasants. Peasants in Poland were reduced to serfdom from the 15th century. And they remained in such a sad state for about 300 years. They were called chlopi(claps) and also bydlo(cattle). The word "cattle" then came from Poland through Ukraine into the Russian language.

07.
Joseph Helmonsky. "Issuing payment (Saturday at the farm)". 1869 G.
Folwark - Polish corvée. Pan forced the khlops to work for himself for free or through forced employment (for example, by first driving them off the land and leaving them without funds). The picture shows a farm on payday. A group of peasants in the center received pennies and were terrified - how to feed their children with these pennies? The two claps on the left, on the other hand, are cheerful. We've already gotten drunk.

08.
Alexander Kotsis. "In the tavern." OK. 1870
While the gentry danced at the balls, the clap had only to go to the tavern. It was a popular business. For example, V.I. Lenin’s great-grandfather Moshe Blank from the city of Starokonstantinov in Volyn was a shinkar. In 1795, under the third partition of Poland, Volyn, together with Moshe Blank and his tavern, went to Russia.

However, in the triad of “war, drunkenness and show-off” among the Polish elite back in the 17th century. There were problems with the war. No, the Poles have never been cowards in war. The problem was in the organization. War is the convening of a general militia of the gentry ( the destruction of the commonwealth), and this is through the Sejm. And the money for the war is also the Sejm. Such decisions were not easy to carry out, which weakened Poland's combat capability. When in 1648 the whole of Ukraine was swept by the Khmelnytsky uprising, the Poles were initially able to field a modest army of only 40 thousand people. Behind her was a convoy of 100 thousand carts with junk and 5,000 women of easy virtue. We went to war as if we were going to a wedding. And they were completely defeated by the Cossacks.

09.
Jan Matejko. "Reitan - the decline of Poland." 1866
The Sejm in 1773 decides to agree to the division of Poland. The nobleman Tadeusz Reitan, the last patriot of Poland, is desperately trying to prevent this: he lies down at the exit, preventing the deputies from leaving after the meeting. Many deputies are ashamed, they just sold their country. On the wall is a portrait of Catherine II (their sponsor), behind the door are Russian grenadiers, upstairs in the box is the Russian ambassador Repnin with two ladies. This is indeed the decline of Poland!

Interesting picture. What's really going on here?

10.
Wojciech Kossak. "Hussar of the Great Army". 1907
The picture shows a Pole from Napoleon's army. The artist himself served as a lancer in the army, so he painted cavalry with skill.

Our Napoleons are from the company of Grozny, Peter and Catherine. Forgot. Before us are the Government troops. I completely agree about “he drew with skill.” .

11.
More Wojciech Kossak. "Spring 1813". 1903
The snow has melted... And there are the remains of the brave cavalrymen.

Kossak conveyed reality. 100%. Look at the corpses. On the right are not just legs sticking out, but black legs. There were more than enough blacks in Elston-Sumarokov’s troops. And it won’t be possible to write off the fact that these were simply blackened corpses. In the left corner are the legs of another corpse. And they are white. From one battle they lay under the same snow.

12.
Januarius Sukhodolsky. "Storming the Walls of Zaragoza." 1845
In 1808, Zaragoza rebelled against the French occupiers. She was besieged for 9 months. Everyone fought, women and children. 50 thousand people died . In the picture the Poles are breaking into the city.

Let's correct it a little: the occupiers are Elston bandits and invaders. Everyone really fought against them. Both women and children.

13.
Januarius Sukhodolsky. "Battle of San Domingo" 1845
This is not Spain. This is Napoleon's punitive expedition to the island of Haiti (then the colony of San Domingo). There, local blacks rebelled against the French, and the Poles came along with the French to pacify the blacks.

Again, everything is the same: the troops of the White Government and the Elston black thugs. And here in the literal sense. The “local rebel Haitians” got a funny uniform)

14.
Wojciech Kossak. "November Night" 1898
This is the anti-Russian uprising of 1830-31. It began in November 1830 with a rebel attack on the Belvedere Palace in Warsaw (the residence of the governor of Poland). The picture shows a battle between the rebels and Russian cuirassiers on the night of November 29-30, 1830.

Everything is as it is. Rioters seize one of the residences of the White Government .

15.
Wojciech Kossak. "Emilia Plater in the Battle of Siauliai." 1904

This is again the uprising of 1830-31. In the center of the picture is Countess Emilia Plater, something like the Polish Joan of Arc. The Countess commanded a detachment of rebels and personally participated in the battles. During one of the campaigns she fell ill and died at the age of 25. A legendary figure in Poland (as well as among Belarusian nationalists).

Very interesting girl. From an ancient knightly aristocratic family. Even taking into account her early death, she did so much to liberate the Motherland from the invaders that to this day there are legends about her, and Poland, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia claim that this woman belongs to their land. And no one lies or makes mistakes. Because there were no traces of such separate states at that time, or even plans. Defended one great Motherland everyone, including women.

16.
Wojciech Kossak. "Circassians in Krakowskie Przedmieście." 1912
This is an anti-Russian uprising of 1863. It is also called the January Uprising. Krakowskie Przedmieście is an avenue in Warsaw. Russian troops burst into the city. The artist depicted the latter as a horde of Circassians rushing through the city with an Orthodox banner. True, Circassians are Muslims, but that doesn’t matter. The Circassians fire into the air with all types of weapons, wave their whips, and passers-by run away.

A strong thing...By the way, the film was originally called “Dagestan wedding on Tverskaya” (joke).

The artist depicted very well who the rebels were and what they were like in action. Cossacks. I would not talk about Orthodoxy and Islam in relation to the Cossacks of that time. They had no religion in our understanding. Their obsession is indicative. A child lying on the pavement, about to be walked on by hooves, speaks volumes.

17.
"The Russian army robs a Polish estate during the January Uprising." Unknown Polish artist of the 19th century.
The author tried to portray Russian soldiers and officers as repulsive as possible. A horde of savages is rampaging in a cultured European home, a child has been thrown out of a stroller, and paintings are being bayoneted.

Very shining example what the Elston troops did. With the caveat that they just broke into the house and all the horror is yet to come...

18.
Arthur Grotger. "The Path to Siberia". 1867
Participants in the 1863 uprising were driven to Siberia.

19.
Alexander Sokhachevsky. "Farewell to Europe." 1894
Polish rebels of 1863 on the way to Siberia. We reached the obelisk on the border of Europe and Asia. The artist himself was a participant in the uprising and received 20 years of hard labor (he is somewhere here in the picture, by the way, near the obelisk).

One of the strong fragments.

20.
Alexander Sokhachevsky. "Pani Gudzinskaya". 1894
This is a real character, a participant in the uprising, who was exiled to the saltworks near Irkutsk (like the author of the picture). She left behind a husband and 2 children in Warsaw. She worked as a laundress at the salt mines, doing laundry all day long in an ice hole in the Angara. She died in hard labor in 1866.

21.
Jacek Malczewski. "Death on stage." 1891
More horrors of the Tsarist gulag.

22.
Jacek Marcelski. "Vigil in Siberia". 1892
Vigilia is a night vigil for Catholics before Easter or Christmas. Polish exiles in Siberia are faithful to their native Catholic faith. By the way, the exiles at the table look quite decent - well-fed, in suits and white shirts.

23.
Stanislav Maslovsky."Spring 1905." 1906
This is already the revolution of 1905-1907. It also affected Poland. In the picture, the Cossacks, acting as the royal riot police, are leading the arrested man. Contrast between the convoy and the prisoner: four heads on horses leading one little man.

24.
Wojciech Kossak. "Pogrom". 1907
The revolution of 1905 was accompanied by a wave of Jewish pogroms, incl. in Poland. The picture shows a Russian Cossack in uniform and with weapons against the backdrop of a pogrom. Houses are burning, corpses lie on the pavement. However, the Cossack in this case is NOT a representative of the forces of law and order. He himself is a pogromist. This is exactly what the artist Wojciech Kossak wanted to say. This, they say, is the Russian army: bandits and murderers.

Everything is true, only the pogroms that took place throughout the land were not Jewish ones. They killed and robbed White People. All the same rebel Cossacks with their horde of black slaves .

25.
Wojciech Kossak. "Ulan escorts Russian prisoners." 1916
This is the first world war. On horseback is a volunteer from the so-called. Polish Legion of the Austrian Army. Approximately 25 thousand Polish nationalists entered the service of the Austrians and fought on their side on the Eastern Front. These legionnaires later formed the backbone of the officer corps of independent Poland.

Let us note for ourselves that one is leading three prisoners! Remember the picture above with another convoy, when there are several guards for one prisoner. So the difference in the qualitative composition of both armies is obvious. White and Red. By the way, the face of the first of the captives in the picture is simply scary .

26.
Wojciech Kossak. "Soviet enemy"
Again a horde of savages, one with a bottle instead of a saber. Note the figure of the murdered civilian on the left (over whom the girl is crying). One to one figure from the painting "Pogrom".

Just without words. The Red Soviet Army as it is.

27.
Jerzy Kossak. "Miracle on the Vistula on September 15, 1920". 1930
Jerzy Kossak is the son of Wojciech Kossak. The painting is dedicated to the counter-offensive of the Polish army near Warsaw in August 1920. Soviet troops were surrounded, the Polish capital was saved. The picture shows an unstoppable attack of the Poles, supported from the air by aircraft and Jesus Christ.

This picture is simply stunning in its information content. And this is already the 20th century. Even taking into account the fact that they “ruled” it and blurred out what people were not supposed to see, a lot is visible! Let's start with the fact that there is no Christ anywhere near here. Neither real nor symbolic. A warrior girl is depicted in the sky above the advancing troops. The same one that now stands on the Alexander Column in St. Petersburg. The leader of the angelic army, whose appearance did not bode well for the enemy. Look closely by enlarging the image. There were no planes there. Remember the winged troops from the painting about Stephen and combine both paintings within the same military-historical events. One can only guess what weapons, vehicles and other gadgets, as we now call them, were used.
And this picture was also remade. Let's compare the options.

28.
Jerzy Kossak. "Chasing the fleeing commissioner." 1934
The commissioner in a red shirt is ticking away from the Polish lancers.

The revived Poland (the Second Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, as it is called) lasted only 21 years. It all ended in 1939.

29.
Jerzy Kossak. "Battle of Kutno". 1939
With checkers on tanks: lancers against the Wehrmacht. This is from the “one rifle for five” series, a Polish version. Tanks of an unknown model, hatches on the side where cavalrymen throw pikes...

Very interesting work. What kind of amazing, previously unseen tanks are this is a separate conversation and more for men who understand these things. I was interested in the fact that these tanks were being attacked by light warriors... and a very interesting approaching detachment on the right. Could it be that wings are once again looming on the heads of the riders? And what is characteristic is that the warriors have already gotten out of the tank closest to them and are demonstrating further non-resistance in every possible way.

30.
Jerzy Kossak. "Battle of Kutno". 1943
Certain incomprehensible moments in the first version of the painting forced the artist to rewrite it several years later.

In my opinion, this painting does not belong to Jerzy Kossak! Firstly, there is no signature, unlike all of his works. Secondly, it is unlikely that the artist will redo his creation to please those who do not understand something. This is a later “politically correct” alteration. There were enough people in the Union of Artists. There was someone to do the work.

After 1945, Poland entered the Soviet bloc and socialist realism began there. Something like this:

31.
Julius Studnitsky. "Stakhanovka Gertrude Vysotskaya." 1950
The box on the left says Centrala rybna. Chieffish!

It wasn't all that fun, though.

32.
Felix Kai-Krzewinski. "Polish prisoners on the way to Siberia." 1940

33.
Felix Kai-Krzewinski. "Hungry Steppe. Kazakhstan." 1945
Deported Poles in Central Asia. The painting is supposedly the artist's sister Elisabeth Krzewinska.

34.
Jerzy Zielinski. "Smile, or 30 years, or ha-ha-ha", 1974
Famous painting in pop art style. The sewn lips symbolize censorship and the communist dictatorship in Poland at the time. Moreover, three crosses are 30 in Roman numerals, just in 1974 it was thirty years since the arrival of the Soviet army in Poland (1944), which also brought new power. And finally, if you read it in Russian, it’s simple: Ha-Ha-Ha :)

Original taken from uglich_jj in History of Russia in paintings by Polish artists...