Jan Matejko (born the June 28th 1838 and dead on November 1st 1893 with Cracow) - painter Polish.

Regarded as the Polish historical great painter of all times, it is famous for its works representing the large characters and events of the history of Poland, as the Bataille of Grunwald.

Biography

His/her father, Franciszek Ksawery Matejko, originating in Hradec Králové, settled in Galicie to teach the music. He moved in Cracow where he married Joanna Karolina Rossberg, girl of a rich person germano-Polish family.

Jan was the eighth of their eleven children. It developed as of its more young age one talent out of the commun run for the visual arts, which enabled him to continue the school in spite of its difficulties in the other matters. It never had a command of foreign language and had even difficulties in Polish. For this reason, the appearances in public to which it was forced all its life were its obsession.

Jan Matejko survived the Bombardement of Cracow by the Autrichiens in 1848, like with the Insurrection of January, to which it could not take share for health reasons (but it supported it financially and carried weapons to insurgent in Goszcza). The defeats undergone by Poland pushed it to forsake religious painting, its starting vocation, to devote itself exclusively to historical painting.

In 1852, in spite of the opposition of his/her father, it entered to the School of the Art schools of Cracow, where it studied until in 1858. In 1864, it married Teodora Giebułtowska of which it had four children: Beata, Helena, Tadeusz and Jerzy. Their fifth child, Regina, died in low age.

It is him which created the imaginary Polish history, which is nowadays difficult to reject in spite of constant criticisms on behalf of the specialists. On its fabrics often characters appear not having taken part in the events (like Hugo Kołłątaj or the Wodzicki General in the Battle of Racławice ). Matejko endeavoured to reach a historical and philosophical synthesis rather than to paint simple historical facts. It is buried with the Cimetière Rakowicki of Cracow.

Major works

• Stańczyk (1862)
• the Sermon of Skarga (1864)
• Rejtan (1866)
• Union of Lublin (1869)
• Báthory in Psków (1872)
• Copernic (1872)
• Suspension of the Bell Sigismond (1874)
• the battle of Grunwald (1878)
• Prussian Homage ( 1882)
• Sobieski in Vienna (1883)
• the Battle of Racławice (1888)
• adoption of the Constitution of May 3rd, 1791 (1891)

• Cycle History of civilization in Poland (1888)

Disciples

• Maurycy Gottlieb
• Jacek Malczewski
• Józef Mehoffer
• Stanisław Wyspiański .

External bonds

• Jan Matejko on the site of Small Poland

Gallery

Be-X-old: ЯнМатэйка

Random links:

Challenge European 2004-2005 | Martti Talvela | Henri Boob of Rogerie | Urgel Acosta | Diane DiMassa