Józef Czapski’s Oeuvre in the Light of Polish Art Criticism of the Years 1930–1939
Dariusz Konstantynów
d.konstantynow@ug.edu.plInstitute of Art History, University of Gdańsk (Poland)
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2064-5677
Abstract
Almost all of Józef Czapski’s pre-war painting output was lost during the Second World War. His work from that time can be judged only on the basis of no more than a dozen or so preserved canvases. The absence of original works can be to a certain extent compensated for by their reflection in the words of those who saw them. An extremely important source of knowledge about Czapski’s pre-war achievements are therefore the statements of reviewers commenting on exhibitions in Poland at which, from 1930 onwards, he presented his works. They make it possible to partially reconstruct Czapski’s oeuvre from the years 1930–1939, trace the transformations it was undergoing, and examine its reception in art criticism of the period. This article analyses almost all press commentaries relating to the exhibition with Czapski’s participation (so far minimally used by researchers of his work), confronting them, as far as possible, with other source texts, including statements by the artist himself and by the members of his circle.
Keywords:
Józef Czapski, Kapism, Paris Committee, Polish painting 1918–1939, Polish art criticism 1918–1939, art exhibitions in Poland 1918–1939References
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Authors
Dariusz Konstantynówd.konstantynow@ug.edu.pl
Institute of Art History, University of Gdańsk Poland
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2064-5677
Dariusz Konstantynów is a historian of art, an employee of the Institute of Art History at the University of Gdańsk. His research focuses on the history of artistic life in Poland in the 19th and early 20th century, as well as on the connections linking visual arts with politics and ideology.
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