Overview

The book covers a very special moment in the life of Piotr Michałowski (1800–55), the most outstanding painter of Polish Romanticism. In his early life, Michałowski built a career as a technocrat and later became head of the state-owned heavy industry. At the time, he proved himself a brilliant amateur salon painter. During the anti-Russian uprising of 1830–31, he was responsible for producing weapons for the Polish army, and would later head for France to pursue the arts. This change in his mindset is documented by the sketchbook he kept in January 1832. It illustrates the transition from a superficial salon artist to keen student of nature and insightful realist. The authors analyze the sketchbook, the circumstances of its creation, and its deeper structure from several perspectives.

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9783631851395

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Author Information

Elżbieta Wichrowska, Professor, literary historian, editor. Head of the Laboratory of manuscripts and inedits 1700–1850 at the Faculty of Polish Studies, University of Warsaw. Her research concerns the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Jan K. Ostrowski, art historian. Former Professor at the Jagiellonian University and director of the Wawel Royal Castle, Krakow. President of the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences. Authored numerous publications on early modern art in France, Italy and Poland.

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