Władysław Podkowiński

Polish painter and illustrator, precursor of impressionism in Poland.

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Władysław Podkowiński was born in Warsaw on 04 February 1866; he was a painter who wanted to confine light in his works, defamed by criticism, satirised by the “honourable” public, he went quickly towards eternal darkness. A huge talent, a noble character.

Władysław Podkowiński, close to Józef Pankiewicz, belongs to precursors of Polish impressionistic painting. In 1889, both artists visited Paris wherein they together admired exhibition of the works by Paul Cezanne and Claude Monet.

After return to provincial Warsaw at that time, contrastive to vivacious Paris, the both painters made an attempt of impressionistic experiments while using their Parisian experiences.

The exhibit at the Warsaw gallery in 1890 – at the Salon Krywulta – aroused a storm of protests and negative comments. The artistic critique wrote as follows: I saw only yellow and ultramarine stains i chaos (…) We asked quite seriously if we should go to oculist or if the creators of unforgettable impressionistic fantasies should go there.

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Author of the text: Urszula Kozakowska Zaucha