Józef Mehoffer referred to him as "a man-phenomenon". Wyspiański painted, wrote plays, created sculptures, sets and stained glass windows, and occasionally designed furniture.
Wyspiański may bring to mind the versatile humanist of the Renaissance. It's hard to find an artist who shows so many talents. And it would seem so distant from each other. There are few outstanding painters who are also outstanding writers, and vice versa. And Wyspiański managed to realize and excel in both of these areas. He also reached out to others. He needed both words and pictures and other artistic forms to express what was happening in his imagination. It was aptly presented by Tadeusz Boy-Żeleński, who wrote:
Among all the phenomenal works of Wyspiański the strangest phenomenon is certainly himself . He himself was an incomparable creative concept, which the whim of nature threw us (where exactly from us?) Supposedly to show what the creature looks like from the scope of other possibilities of Being; How, for example, would a saint look like if he were simultaneously in every fiber of the soul an artist and a very penetrating and sometimes very malicious man.
Family tragedy
Stanisław Wyspiański was born on January 15, 1869 in Kraków. The city which was featured in his works as a motif. Wyspiański's parents were Franciszek Michał Wyspiański and Maria née Rogowski. Her mother, musically and poetically gifted, came from a family with patriotic traditions, her relatives were actively involved in the liberation of Poland . My father studied at the Technical Institute at the School of Fine Arts in Krakow, he was engaged in sculpture.
Stanisław Wyspiański in childhood
Franciszek's career looked promising, but was not fully developed due to the tragic events. In 1875 died only four-year-old Tadeusz, the second son of the Wyspiański family . A year later, Maria passed away and suffered from tuberculosis. Franciszek had problems with alcohol before, but after the death of his wife he became addicted to it that did not allow him to look after his son. Stanisław was taken care of by his family. He developed the strongest bond with his mother's sister, Joanna Stankiewicz, who, together with her husband, treated her nephew as her own son. The aunt was an extraordinary authority for Stanisław. During school discussions and conflicts, he often referred to her opinions, which earned him the nickname "Auntie".
Apprentice of master Jan Matejko
Growing up, Stas was distinguished by his sensitivity, he had a melancholy disposition. He drew a lot, his father infected him with his love for art. There were many books in the Stankiewicz house, which contributed to the awakening of Stanisław's passion for reading. Even so, at school he was a student - today we would say - of two . Certainly none of the teachers thought that in the future someone with such unremarkable academic results would create, inter alia, "The Wedding", a drama considered a masterpiece.
The Stankiewiczs, with whom Stanisław grew up from the age of eleven, belonged to the intellectual class of the bourgeoisie. They were often visited by:the painter Jan Matejko, the historian Józef Szujski, and the prose writer and art historian Karol Estreicher. Matejko, seeing Stanisław's potential, encouraged him to practice drawing . In October 1887, Wyspiański, together with his school friend Józef Mehoffer, began studies at the School of Fine Arts in Krakow. The function of the university director was then held by Matejko, who clearly favored Stanisław . And this one did not want to disappoint him. During his studies, he was one of the most diligent listeners. He also attended lectures on art history at the Faculty of Philosophy and History of the Jagiellonian University.
In 1889, while still a student, thanks to Matejko, he was able to cooperate with the master in creating the polychrome in St. Mary's Church. A few months later, the received scholarship allowed Wyspiański to embark on a European journey that was a significant part of his artistic education.
Total artist
The educational and artistic journey around Europe included Italy, Switzerland, Germany and the Czech Republic. Wyspiański studied medieval art in particular. He devoted a lot of attention to Gothic cathedrals. He was also more and more fascinated by the theater. In German cities, he often watched shows by Goethe and Shakespeare, and at the same time he did not miss operas.
He spent the most time, three years, in Paris. He was not accepted into the École des Beaux Arts, so he began studying in one of the private studios - the Colarossi Academy. At that time, he encountered various trends that influenced the shaping of his artistic identity. He became acquainted with the art of Impressionists and Symbolists, Georges Seurat's pointillism and Paul Gauguin's post-impressionism. He was a critical and insightful observer. In art, he valued what is original. In Paris, he not only painted a lot, but also wrote dramas and opera librettos. He made his first attempts at writing while studying in Krakow.
Stained glass window "God the Father - Become!"
Due to the difficult financial situation, he decided to return to his hometown in 1894. The first months after his return were not easy, but in the end he managed to get a commission to make a polychrome for the Franciscan church. In 1897, he created several stained glass windows for the same temple, including the famous "God the Father - Become!" where you can see Art Nouveau influences.
Soon after, Wyspiański became a co-founder of the Society of Polish Artists "Sztuka" . He created the graphic design of the magazine "Życie" and joined the Municipal Theater in Krakow, thanks to which he was able to develop his dramatic works. He even designed sets and costumes for the pieces he wrote. He painted many portraits of Krakow intelligentsia.
Between art and disease
The news about the disease shattered the joy of success in the professional and artistic field. Wyspiański found out that he fell ill with syphilis, then incurable. It is not known when and where exactly Wyspiański contracted syphilis. Some believe that it happened as a result of an affair with a girl from a printing house. Others claim that he was infected by Annach, Paul Gauguin's model and lover, whom the French painter brought from Tahiti. The infection probably happened in Paris around 1893.
Wyspiański (standing first from the left) with his friends
Wyspiański's disease was an open secret. Everyone knew about it, but were ashamed to speak about it. For many years this aspect was omitted from the artist's biography, and yet it was not only an episode of illness. An incurable ailment determined many of his actions . She was with him during the earliest years of his career, until the end of his life. It is also important that because of the common knowledge about the infection, he could not count on marrying a lady from a good home . His engagement was rejected by the parents of Zofia Pietraszkiewiczówna, with whom Wyspiański was in love.
He only married in 1900 to Teodora Teofila Pytko from the village. Before the wedding, their two children were born:daughter Helenka and son Mietek. Teodora also had an illegitimate son, Teodor, whom Wyspiański adopted. After the wedding, the couple had another son, Staś.
Self-portrait of a loner
Family and friends did not seem too pleased with Wyspiański's misalliance. It was argued that the gap between Stanisław and Teodora was huge. He was a versatile, educated and gaining more and more recognition artist, she - a simple, illiterate peasant. Nevertheless, they created a family together. The artist expected his relatives to respect his wife. In "Self-portrait with his wife" from 1904, he looks more fragile and fragile than Teodora. But by watching his attitude, we can get the impression that he wants to protect his wife from an unkind world.
Wyspiański with his wife
Wyspiański was a loner. He was not looking for friends, patrons, recipients, readers. Apparently, on the door of the apartment at ul. Krowoderska 79 in Krakow, where he lived with his family, hung up a card with the words: "Stanisław Wyspiański lives here and asks not to visit him" . The painter Jan Skotnicki wrote about him:“Getting to know Wyspiański personally was not easy. He lived a solitary, almost hermit life, amidst want, suffering, in creative ecstasy. He avoided talking, as it was difficult for him in the face of the throat disease ”. However, he had great love for his wife and children, he was devoted to them and stared at them, as evidenced by numerous portraits. He drew strength from his family life.
Severe relapses often chained him to bed and forced him to stay home for weeks. He felt the need to portray his loved ones, he wanted to capture and keep family moments. He mainly painted with pastels because during his studies it turned out that he was allergic to zinc white and could not use oil paints. His works depicting Helenka, Mietek, Staś in natural poses are famous. Children look as if they were painted spontaneously, in unique and everyday situations, for example while sleeping. In his work, Wyspiański often used the theme of motherhood. The pastel "Motherhood" is full of tenderness, in which the artist immortalized his wife, who was breastfeeding Staś. The home scene here takes on an almost sacred character.
Immortality through art
Wyspiański, after learning about the disease, threw himself into work. He created by racing against death. He was sickly already as a child. He struggled with allergies, and syphilis took its toll on him extremely hard. The weakness sometimes prevented him from holding his writing and painting tools. At better times, he painted and wrote a lot. In his numerous self-portraits, we can follow the progressing disease. In 1901, he published the drama "The Wedding", which was highly appreciated and earned him the title of the "Fourth Polish Prophet" . In his works, he touched upon patriotic themes, but also asked questions about the meaning of human life. He believed that he could gain immortality by making the most of all creative possibilities.
photo:Stanisław Wyspiański / public domain Self-portrait of Stanisław Wyspiański
Wyspiański died on November 28, 1907. He was only thirty-eight. His death met with a social upheaval. The funeral took place on December 2. An estimated 40,000 people attended. The farewell ceremony almost took the form of a national demonstration. The artist was buried in the Crypt of Merit at Skałka. His obituary said:
A poet, a great and versatile artist, he was one of the greatest sons of a martyred Homeland, knew how to love and suffer for millions, he could speak to the nation in the tone of Adam, Juliusz and Zygmunt , because he was from the Wieszczów. [...] Torn by the doubts of age, he never stopped believing in the spiritual goal of life, in immortality, because in death he saw only the way to a new, higher being, towards which the Nation wished to lead.