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Jan Matejko was a Polish painter, a leading 19th-century exponent of history painting, known for depicting nodal events from Polish history. His works include paintings such as Rejtan (1866), the Union of Lublin (1869), the Astronomer Copernicus (1873), or theBattle of Grunwald (1878). He was the author of numerous portraits, a gallery of Polish monarchs in book form, and murals in St. Mary’s Basilica. He is considered as the most celebrated Polish painter. Matejko’s painting style has been criticized as old-fashioned and overly theatrical, labeled as “antiquarian realism”. His works often lost their nuanced historical significance when displayed abroad due to the audience’s unfamiliarity with Polish history. Over 80 painters were Matejko’s students, many influenced during his tenure as director of the Kraków School of Fine Arts. Some went on to become members of the Young Poland movement, which encompassed literature, music, theatre as well as visual arts. |
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