The Great Painters
Wojciech Kossak
- panorama painter
Wojciech Kossak
(1856-1942)
He has made a name for himself on the pages of Polish art history as one of the most prolific artists - his artistic output is estimated at 2,000 canvases. Much of his paintings are in private hands, in Poland and abroad. The portraits of Wojciech Kossak's paintbrush are not limited to capturing the image of the canvas's hero. The surrounding, the landscape, and above all the atmosphere, tell the character of the model.
BATALIST
PANORAMIST
PORTRAITS
PICTURES-PHOTOS
MASTER OF GENRE SCENES
Wojciech Kossak
Own portrait with palette, Wikipedia
1856
(31 December at a quarter past midnight) in Paris, as the first of the twins, Wojciech Kossak, son of Juliusz and Zofia Gałczyńska was born. Soon he came to Warsaw with his parents. He has been drawing a lot since childhood.
1871
he started learning painting at the Cracow School of Fine Arts, where he was a student of Władysław Łuszczkiewicz (1828-1900)
1873
He went to Munich to study art, from where he sent a drawing for the Sukiennice Fair. As the artist's mother wrote: Matejko), he starts to praise very much, to admire, to look at, to take out from the grey end, to hang on the honorable place...".
1877
Wojciech Kossak started his studies in Paris
1883
He returned to Cracow, where he fell in love with 20-year-old Maria Kisielnicka.
1884
He married Maria Kisielnicka on July 16th. Their children: Jerzy Kossak (1886-1955), Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska (1891-1945) and Magdalena Samozwaniec (1894-1972) grew up in the famous Kossakówka (a house full of souvenirs, still in the hands of the family). All three of them will gain fame and enter the history of Polish art
1885
Kossak's marriage served him well, he painted and exhibited a lot, and his works were very successful in Vienna, where he received a gold medal for his painting "The History of the First Uhlan Regiment".
1895-1902
He lived in Berlin and was considered the Emperor's court painter. For "Horse Portrait of William II" he was awarded the Order of the Red Eagle. He also received the bachelor's cross of the Order of the Iron Prussian Crown. These honors were publicized in the Polish press - a scandal broke out: in many eyes Wojciech Kossak appeared to be a traitor to the Polish cause, or at least a man devoid of patriotic feelings.
1894
The first public show "Panorama Racławicka" took place on 5 June. The huge composition was enthusiastically received by the audience
1902
after a few years in Berlin, the artist returned to Poland, bitten by the accusations of using Prussians
1905
the artist's greatest easel canvas was created: "Bloody Sunday", which was shown in Vienna, London, Paris, the United States, Cracow and Lviv and enjoyed critical and public acclaim
1908
On the initiative of Wojciech Kossak, a painting group "Zero" was established, referring to historical and patriotic values.
1909
he was elected a member of the management of the Society of the Friends of Fine Arts in Cracow, he still painted a lot, and his works were exhibited in London, Paris, Munich, Antwerp and Rome
1913
He became a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. In the same year he published his "Wspomnienia" - the book had great reviews and was very popular. He started selling a lot and finally he could stop complaining about the spectre of "death by starvation".
1914
World War I broke out and although Wojciech Kossak was already 57 years old, he was conscripted into the Austrian army. He did not stop painting and composed, among other things, front scenes: "Young Hero," "Soldier's Dream," "On a battlefield.
1918
This time in the Polish army, Wojciech Kossak became a major of the uhlans
1920
He left for Paris and the United States with a diplomatic courier mission. In the USA he received 2 large orders for paintings: "Pulawski near Savannah" and "Kosciuszko near Saratoga". For each he received 20,000 dollars