Stanislaw Wyspianski- the icon of Young

Poland
student: Mina Petrova
subect: !istory of Polish culture
"#$#
!istorical %ackgound
&t the end of nineteenth century the political cli'ate in (urope was stable) &fter the Poles
twice failed with their revolts-in $*+$-+" and second ti'e in $*,+-,-- it followed a long
period of obedience and consolidation with the .orces/ stressing so-called organic work and
concerning 'ainly econo'ics as far as Poland stayed far behind the rest of western countries
at that ti'e) 0he proclai'ed ar'ed peace by the powerful 1ussia/ Prussia and &ustria
actually found e2pression in the oppression of the Polish people) 3ot until $*4#s several
national 'ove'ents and parties were founded-Polish Socialist Party/ Social 5e'ocratic
Party/ 3ational 5e'ocratic
Party/ and Polish Peasants6 Party) When in $4#- 1ussia was attacked by 7apan Poles rose in
ar's against the oppressor) 0he cul'ination hold in 8od9/ Warsaw and :henstohova/ where
'any de'onstrators lost their lives) Soon the revolution was ended/ but the Poles found their
strong leader in 7o9ef Pilsudski/ who 'anaged to take the lead and inspire plenty of people)
0he transfor'ation of Poland into a battlefield between 1ussia/ ;er'any and &ustria drove
the country to huge devastation and collapse) Yet the leading of Pilsudski and the support by
several parties resist the difficulties/ taking the control of so'e parts of the land) .inally
Poland clai'ed its independence/ recogni9ed by %ritain/ .rance/ <taly/ and the =nited States
on 7une +/ $4$*/ and confir'ed in the post-war treaties) Practically this was the end of $"+-
year period of oppression)
:ultural background
"
5espite the unsuitable and severe ti'e for developing a culture/ science and artistic field/ that
>po?ue turned out as one of the 'ost innovative and efficient in the history of Polish culture)
;alicia developed into the 'ost liberal Polish region as far as &ustrian ad'inistration did not
interfere with the autono'y of Polish institutions) &t that ti'e 7agiellonian =niversity in
:racow as well as the =niversity of 8wow e?ualed prestige and really good education) 3ot
only the Polish scientists continued their work and researches/ but they even provided 'ore
and 'ore findings) @yg'unt Als9ewski and Barol Wroblewski of the 7agiellonian =niversity
li?uefied o2ygen and hydrogen C$**+D*-E for the very firs ti'e) Marian S'oluchowski/
professor of physics at the =niversity of 8wow and later at the 7agiellonian =niversity/
contributed to the develop'ent of the ato'ic theory)
0he architecture was based 'ainly on the style of art noveau/ corresponding with Fienna6s
Secession/ widespread in the &ustro-!ungarian ('pire) <ts basics 'ay be considered
generally as a revolt against the classical for's and sy''etry) Secession often used
pretentious orna'entation of lines/ circles and flowers/ 'ade of stone/ stucco or tiles)
(verything - fro' the building to the windows had a strange and co'pletely new shapes/
while balconies were asy''etrical )
%ut it wasn6t only the architecture that gained co'pletely new patterns/ escaping
everything considered already old and bourgeois) 3ew ideas influenced powerfully the whole
literary world) &lthough they see'ed even shocking for the society/ they ca'e together with
great inspiration and talent of their heralds) &ccording to :9eslaw Milos9 the 'odern polish
literature began with that sa'e generation of young people rebelling against positivis' like a
century ago when ro'anticis' replaced classicis')
0he ter'
0he ter' Young Poland was to describe the 'ove'ent as very close to Young
Scandinavia and Young ;er'any/ to define the new pheno'ena/ happening at that ti'e/
+
better than any other ter'/ ending with Dis') <t was coined after a 'anifesto by &rthur
;orski/ published in $*4* in the BrakGw newspaper Hycie C8ifeE -a 'aga9ine which attracted
both theoreticians and practicians of the 'ove'ent between $*4I and $4##) %efore that ti'e
various na'es were used to define the authors such as decadents or 'odernists) Af course
at so'e point they were 'odernists/ reacting against the obective realis'/ the social syste'
and the whole passion for science)

.eeling deeply unsatisfied with the old cannons and ways

of e2pression they introduced the fa'ous slogan art for art6s sake) 0hey cultivated the pure
for' of the art/ deprived of any useJ the art only as an aesthetic need) &t the sa'e ti'e that
group of young artists/ poets/ writers etc) turned back to the ideas of ro'anticis'/ ad'iring
the picture of the nature/ village/ the co''on people) 0he parado2 was that all that 'ove'ent
settled 'ainly in :racow/ considered at the sa'e ti'e as a capital of traditionalis' and
conservatis') 0he new way of e2pression/ co'bining archaic language/ erotic cult and
sy'bolis' shocked the traditional society/ but soon prevailed the preudices) &ll these
features were incarnated in the innu'erable works of poets/ writers/ painters/ co'posers/
critics etc) 0hey all followed si'ilar ideas/ felt bound to act using the art e2pression/ and were
asha'ed of the current political and social situation) Yet it is beyond dispute that the 'ost
representative figure of the 'ove'ent was Stanislaw Wyspiansky)
Stanislaw Wyspianski- a 'an of all arts
Wyspianski lived and observed :racow of the late $4th century) !is father was a sculptor
and had an atelier near Wawel hill/ so the young Wyspianski could see al'ost everyday the
cathedral as a powerful sy'bol of the for'er strength of the Polish state and so the royal
castle/ by then transfor'ed into &ustrian ar'y barracks)
K
Milos9/ :) The History of Polish Literature/ p) +""
-
StanisLaw attended St &nneMs ;y'nasiu' and 'any of his school'ates/ including 7o9ef
Mehoffer/ 8ucan 1ydel/ Stanislaw (streicher/ were to play a 'aor role in BrakowMs cultural
life later) 0he education was bi-lingual/ so the students were fluent in ;er'an language/
literature/ and culture) St &nneMs also functioned as a classical lyceu' thus anti?ue 'otifs
would appear in WyspianskiMs work) &fter his baccalaureate e2a' he went to the School of
.ine &rts and 7an Mateko beca'e his teacher) .ro' hi' he adopted the fascination with the
s'allest details of dresses/ shoes/ weapons and so on) !e also entered at the 5epart'ent of
Philosophy of 7agiellonian =niversity) &s a student he discovered in the village of Bru9lowa/
of a fifteenth-century wooden statue of Mother of ;od Cnow well known as the Madonna of
Bru9lowaE) Probably this event turned his interest back to the past and all the forgotten
treasuries with their elaborate shapes) 0hen and there he already had a great i'agination and a
talent to see the 'otion/ the whole story behind each piece of art/ nevertheless it was static) <t
see's he adored the theatre fro' his school years) Modernis'/ which was then rising/
enhanced sensitivity to co'bine various arts) &s a student of painting/ Wyspianski started
writing 'inor lyrics and dra'a scenes which often ust supple'ented his fine arts proects)
Years later as a 'ature artist/ designing a series of Cunreali9edE stained-glass windows for the
Wawel :athedral and he used to write poe's devoted to the historical personages he depicted)
&s a painter Wyspiansky was truly involved with nature) !is well-known cycle of
landscapes/ different views of Boscius9ko Mound in hundreds of variations/ seen fro' his
studio/ was fantastic as well as different pictures of Fistula river/ of lowlands) &s all the
painters fro' Young Poland he was able to see and capture the beauty of the nature/ but he
wasn6t indifferent to the portray of the real polish village with its people/ because though
forgotten it was a part of Poland) &t the sa'e ti'e he painted nu'erous portrays of his own
fa'ily and 'any other people/ of :racow with its Wawel/ cathedrals/ townscapes as if he was
ruled by endless passion for drawing anything he observed) !is favourite techni?ue was
N
pastel/ bolded colours and fir' lines were significant for his artistic attitude- no 'ore
co'pro'ises with the the'es/ scenes/ depicted people/ because all he observe was a 'atter/
so it was to be loved/ not neglected)
<n $*4# he traveled abroad/ visiting Fienna/ Fenice and other (uropean towns) Stopping in
Paris he visited cathedral of Saint-5enis and then followed the route of fa'ous ;othic
cathedrals of :hartres/ 1ouen/ &'iens/ 8yon/ 1ei's/ Strasbourg/ then the route of 1o'an
cathedrals/ down to 3ure'berg) !e returned to Poland full of new inspirations/ after
watching the perfor'ances of plays by ;oethe/ Weber/ Wagner and Shakespeare) <n May
$*4$ he left for .rance intending to study at Ocole des %eau2 &rts and failed/ but then
decided to stay) &t that ti'e he felt inspired by the productions at :o'>die .ranPaise/ and
other theatres/ so he started to write dra'as and opera librettos/ 'ainly based on historical and
'ythological the'es seen fro' the nineteenth century perspectve) 0he life abroad influenced
a lot his artistic i'agination/ introducing to hi' the newest conceptions of art) <t was then
when he learned to perceive the :athedral as a co'plicated piece of art which idea he always
was to follow later in his work)
!is artistic i'agination was boundless-fro' restoration plans for the Wawel :astle/
'onu'ental stained-glass proects and furniture design to writing dra'as) Stanislaw
%r9o9owski describes his artistical attitude: 0he thought of Wyspianski never e2pressed
itself trough words/ he did not think in words/ he thought with tensions of his will and with
e'otions e2pressed in color/ 'ove'ent and sound) !e thought in theatrical ter's)

!is first
appearance as a playwriter ca'e in $*4* with Wars9awianka for which theatre design he
used particular significant colours D black/ white and golden) 0he co'position of the scenic
space was also 'odern as he put on the background windows/ turning the attention to the
happening behind the stage- a 'ethod borrowed fro' the classic &ttic dra'a/ where the 'ost
i'portant events were perfor'ed backside/ not in front of the audience)
K
Milos9/ :) 0he !istory of Polish 8iterature/ p) +N"
,
0he 'ost i'portant of his works as a play writer was 0he Wedding CWeseleE) <ts
perfor'ance held for first ti'e at :racow6s :ity 0heatre in $4#$ with a great success) 0he
plot treated the current political situation of the Poles) <t is a wedding set in a village close to
:racow) &s the groo' has an aristocratic descent and the bride is village girl/ the whole
action happens in her father6s far'house to which the neighbours together with the aristocrats
have been invited to an evening party) 0he stage shows only a passage trough several doors/
opening into the various roo's with drinking/ eating and dancing people) Suddenly a phanto'
of wandering lyre player appears announcing hi'self to the host with the 'essage 0he
1ussians are co'ingQ & young boy is handed a talis'an- a 'agical golden tru'pet which
will fortify the spirit -with which to go out and call up for defending the village and nation)
0hat has to happen until the first dawn/ but when the ti'e co'es/ only a few people turn out)
0hen the boy co'es back asha'ed/ because of loosing the golden horn- a guarantee for the
victory) 0hose who ca'e soon depart/ neglecting the potential danger and the party goes on
as before) 0he e2pected big event/ which e2pectation is increased as the action goes far/ never
co'es)
0hus that play turned into a sy'bol of deep national significance) <t was a satire on superficial
nationalist swank as well as a tool for wakening the sleeping consciousness of Poland up) <t
showed a bitter picture of weakness of a society which was partitioned by the political regi'e/
the inert national tradition and the 'istrustful skepticis' of its intelligentsia)
&fter 0he Wedding Wyspianski engaged hi'self with the staging of &da' Mickiewic9Ms
R59iadyR C0he .orefathersM (veE) 0he pre'iere took place on +$st Actober $4#$ and was the
first theatre production of the work) WyspiaSski adapted Mickiewic9Ms 'asterpiece for the
stage/ co'bining all of its parts into one/ e'phasi9ing the dra'a of the 'ain character)
Probably e2actly that event was to serve as a for'ula for the 'odern adaptation in the ne2t
century) <n his works Wyspiansky revealed his suffering soul/ his hatred of inaction/ his
I
disappoint'ent with the unreadiness of his own generation to act)

0he theatre was for hi' a

key to the soul of the audience/ the only art which was capable to bring together things/ which
were so distant in the real world)
<n 7anuary $4#+ he staged again Mickievic96s piece/ adapting RWy9wolenieR C8iberationE)
&s the hero of the play was the sa'e :onrad fro' 59iady/ the plot bore the sa'e 'essage/
the sa'e author6s belief that in s the hope action/ not in passion was the hope for better world)
0he sa'e year 'arked another one dra'a of hi'-R%oleslaw T'ialyR C%oleslaus the %oldE/)
<ts plot was connected with the historical past of Poland) Wyspianski treated the the'e of the
conflict of %oleslaw T'ialy and St Stanislaus again in RSkaLkaR/ a dra'a published in $4#I
and not staged in his lifeti'e)
<n 7uly $4#+ he produced a series of drawings for a new edition of <liad and wanted to take
part in the restoration of Wawel after the 1oyal :astle was vacated by the &ustrian ar'y in
$4#-/ but he wasn6t allowed) 0he place where he spent his childhood involved hi' in writing
a prophetic dra'a R&kropolisR C$4#-E as well as a re-develop'ent sche'e R&kropolis)
0ogether with the architect WLadysLaw (kielski/ he was preparing the concept of the Wawel
develop'ent for al'ost a year) An the slope/ they planned to create an a'phitheatre with I##
seats/ following the 'odel of the ;reek theatre/ and below a sports arena) 0he fortress walls
were to ac?uire terraces and the barbican was to house lapidaries)
$4#- 'arked the publication of R3oc listopadowaR C3ove'ber 3ightE/ WyspianskiMs last
dra'a devoted to the uprising of $*+$) <n 5ece'ber that year he wrote as well RStudiu' o
!a'lecieR C& Study on !a'letE/ a treatise on the tasks of the theatre) Published in $4#N/ the
RStudiu'R includes frag'ents of poe's and an e2a'ple of a reading a dra'a for theatre
purposes in specific circu'stances of the society in which the staging is produced/ together
with so'e detailed staging ideas/ including the use of the Wawel hill as the scenery for
K
1ose/ W) The Poets of Young Poland/ Slavonic Year-%ook/ &'erican Series/ vol)$ C$4-$E/ p) $4I
*
ShakespeareMs tragedy) RStudiu'R influenced other authors/ including Stanislaw %r9o9owski
and 0adeus9 Micinski/ in their works on the essence and role of 'odern theatre/ and proved a
'aor reference for the following generations of theatre 'akers)
5uring the last $N 'onths of his life/ Wyspianski was seriously ill and spent this ti'e in
WUgr9ce near Brakow) StanisLaw Wyspianski died soon on "* 3ove'ber $4#I at N p)') !is
funeral took place in Brakow on " 5ece'ber $4#I and beca'e a national 'anifestation) &fter
the Mass in St) MaryMs :hurch/ the artist was buried in the :rypt of the 5istinguished in the
SkaLka :hurch)
4
%ibliography:
%iskupski/ M)%)/ !istory of Poland/ "###
Milos9/ :9) 0he !istory of Polish 8iterature/ 8ondon)$4*+
1ise/ 7) 0he Poets of Young Poland/ $*4#-$4#+/ Slavonic Year-%ook) &'erican Series/
Fol)$ C$4-$E
http:VVwww)slavica)co'VfeaturesV'ikos-WYP<ntro)pdf
http:VVculture)plV
http:VVarty9')co'V
http:VVwww)ap)krakow)plVnkaVliteratureVpolpoetVwyspianski)ht'
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