Travelling to the UK for the first time, 16 of Stanisław Wyspiański’s most admired portraits, many of which have never been seen outside Poland, will be displayed at the National Portrait Gallery.
Stanisław Wyspiański (1869-1907) is one of Poland’s most important artists. Working across a variety of mediums and disciplines, his art shaped the development of visual culture in Poland at what was to prove a decisive moment in the history of the country.
As a leading figure in the modernist movement, Young Poland, based in Kraków, Wyspiański was hailed by many Poles to be the voice of the nation divided by occupying forces. In response to the country’s political non-existence, Young Poland sought to create a new national art based on folk traditions, exploring cultural identity. The Young Poland movement was considered instrumental in helping bring about Polish independence in 1918.
The new display celebrates the painter, designer, poet and originator of modern Polish theatre. In the portraits, Wyspiański uses bold colour and emphatic line, with figures pressed tight against the picture plane or at a sharp angle leaning away from it.