Nineveh

Stanisław Wyspiański prints bring together the many sides of Kraków's most celebrated Young Poland artist: tender pastels of sleeping children, misty views of the Kościuszko Mound from his studio window, stained glass designs and sketches from his travels. Playwright, painter and designer, he blended modern art with Polish folk and Romantic themes. Our collection of fine art prints follows his work from student copies to his last self-portrait.

About Stanisław Wyspiański

Stanisław Wyspiański was born in Kraków on 15 January 1869, the son of a sculptor. After his mother died he was raised by his aunt's family, where he met the painter Jan Matejko, who gave him his first guidance. In 1887 he enrolled at Jagiellonian University and the School of Fine Arts, and Matejko soon asked him to help paint the interior of St Mary's Church.

From 1890 to 1894 he travelled through Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Prague and France. In Paris he studied at the Académie Colarossi, became friends with Paul Gauguin, and fell for the paintings of Pierre Puvis de Chavannes.

Back in Kraków he painted the walls and designed the stained glass of the Franciscan Church, including the famous window God the Father, Let It Be. He also wrote national dramas, above all The Wedding (Wesele, 1901), and designed for the Municipal Theatre. He became a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in 1906, and died in Kraków on 28 November 1907; his funeral became a day of national mourning.

Style and Subjects

Wyspiański's favourite medium was pastel. He drew his family, friends and fellow artists, and above all his own children in everyday moments, sleeping or eating, with soft, warm colour and confident outlines. His landscapes show Kraków: the Planty park, the Vistula, Wawel Castle and, near the end of his life, the Kościuszko Mound seen from his studio window in every kind of weather.

His design work is bolder: flowing plant forms, flowers and heraldic patterns in strong colour, in the decorative spirit of Art Nouveau. Drawings of wildflowers in his herbarium fed straight into these designs.

Famous Works

• View of the Kościuszko Mound from the Window of the Artist's Studio (1904). One of the late pastels of the mound seen from his window.
• Head of Helenka, the Artist's Daughter (1900), National Museum in Kraków. A pastel of his little daughter.
• Sleeping Child on a Cushion (1902). One of his tender pastels of his children asleep.
• Motherhood (1905), National Museum in Kraków. A mother nursing her child, drawn with deep warmth.
• Straw Men Dancing in the Planty (Chochoły) (1898–1899). Straw-wrapped garden bushes in Kraków's park turn into ghostly dancers.
• View of the Wawel Castle (1894). Kraków's royal castle from his early years back home.
• Self-Portrait with Wife (1904), National Museum in Kraków. The artist and his wife side by side.

Decorating with Wyspiański Prints

Wyspiański's pastels of children are among the gentlest images in our collection, made for a nursery, bedroom or family room. Their soft blues, ochres and pinks sit well with pale walls and natural wood.

The Kościuszko Mound views and the Planty scene have a quiet, misty mood that suits a living room or reading corner, and they look good hung as a pair. His design drawings, with their bold flowers and patterns, bring colour to a hallway, kitchen or creative workspace.

FAQ

What art movement was Stanisław Wyspiański part of?

He was a leading figure of Young Poland (Młoda Polska), the Polish modernist movement around 1900. His work mixes modern, Art Nouveau design with Polish folk and Romantic themes.

What is Wyspiański's most famous work?

In art, the stained glass window God the Father, Let It Be in Kraków's Franciscan Church. In literature, his play The Wedding (Wesele, 1901).

Where can I see Wyspiański's work?

The National Museum in Kraków runs a Wyspiański Museum in the Old Granary, with about 1,100 objects. His stained glass can be seen in the Franciscan Church and in a pavilion on All Saints' Square in Kraków.

Why did Wyspiański draw the Kościuszko Mound so often?

Near the end of his life, when he was ill, he drew the view from his studio window again and again, in different light and weather.

Was Wyspiański a playwright too?

Yes. He wrote national dramas such as The Wedding, Liberation and November Night, and he designed sets and costumes for the Kraków theatre.

Related Artists

• Jan Matejko: his first mentor and the dean of the Kraków School of Fine Arts
• Józef Mehoffer: his fellow student and partner on the St Mary's stained glass
• Jacek Malczewski: Young Poland painter whose portrait Wyspiański drew in pastel
• Jan Stanisławski: Kraków landscape painter and another of his pastel sitters
• Pierre Puvis de Chavannes: the French muralist he admired in Paris