Treść książki
Przejdź do opcji czytnikaPrzejdź do nawigacjiPrzejdź do informacjiPrzejdź do stopki
ArtyściANdersa•cONtiNuitAeNOVitA
ingatideofopportunity.Inculture,constantlyendangeredbypressuresfromvarious
sidesandinterests,politicalupheavals,relativizedstandardsandnormsofconduct,an
unyieldingattitudewithafixedsetofvaluescreatedchancesforpreservingcultural
identityinbothindividualandcollectivedimensions”41.
Anders’ArmyembracedaplethoraofPolishartistsuntilrecentlymostlyforgot-
tenorunknowninPolisharthistory.Irrespectiveofthemilitaryregimeandunfa-
vourableconditionsforartisticexpression,theymanagedtocreatethegroundsfor
artisticdevelopmentamongtheranksofthePolishArmedForcesintheEastandof
theIICorps,byfacilitatingtheorganizationofexhibitions,bycollectingmaterial
help,byorganizingartisticsocieties,groupsandworkrooms,andevenbyestablishing
anindependentpaintingschoolandautonomousartisticstudios.Itwas,amongoth-
ers,JózefJaremaJózefCzapski,StanisławWestwalewicz,ZygmuntTurkiewicz,Hen-
rykSiedlanowski,EdwardMatuszczak,JerzyMłodnicki,StanisławFrenkiel,Janina
Wolff-Boguckaandanumberofotherartistswhosystematically,startingfrom1942
joinedtheranksofthePolishArmedForcesintheEastandofthePolishIICorps.It
wasthisgroupofartiststhat,afterleavingtheKinhumanland”ofSovietterritories,
createdthefoundationsforexhibitionactivitiesandestablishedseveralartisticassoci-
ationsinthecountriesofEasternMediterranean.TheexhibitionsofPolishartorgan-
izedinthecountriesoftheNearandMiddleEastaftertheirdeparturefromtheSoviet
UniontestifiedtothevitalityandhighqualityofPolishpainting.Theyalsoservedan
undeniablyusefulpropagandarole,whichcanbeseeninhundredsofprintedreviews,
critiques,reportsandrelationsdevotedtothecontemporaryPolishart,published
acrossthepagesoftheEnglish,French,ArabandHebrewpressatthattime,empha-
sizingtheessentialandunbreakableconnectionsbetweenPolishandWesterncultures
(irrespectiveoftheongoingwarandwardispersionofPolishpeople).
Aseparatearea,whichhasonlybeenfragmentarilyresearchedsofarandwhich
featuresasanimportantpartofthepresentstudyistheartisticeducationofPolish
soldiersintheareaofpainting,sculptureandgraphicarts.Onecanidentifythefol-
lowing,distinctstagesoftheirartistictraining:Beirutintheyears1942-1950,Italy
from1945to1946andthenGreatBritainfrom1947to1949.Thefirstscholarly
studies,basedonsourcematerials,archiveandlibraryresearchfocusedonthear-
tisticeducationandexhibitionactivitiesofsoldier-artistsfromtheIICorpsinthe
years1942-1949whichforeshowedthepresentpublication,werepreparedandpub-
lishedbythepresentauthorin2011and201242.Anincentivetoattemptanin-
-depthstudyinthisareawasprovidedbyRomanLewicki(aformerstudent-soldier
41
See:P
.Piotrowski,Międzykoloryzmemamodernizmem.WstronęestetykirecepcjimalarstwaPiotraPo-
tworowskiego,(in:)PiotrPotworowski1898-1962,ed.J.Słodowska,Warszawa1998,p.49.
42
Czaswalki,czastworzenia.Edukacjażołnierzy-artystów2KorpusugenerałaWładysławaAndersa,(in:)
Słowaobrazydźwiękiwwychowaniu,eds.Sz.Kawalla,E.Lewandowska-TarasiukandJ.W.Sienkiewicz,War-
szawa2011,pp.208-245.Theabovetext,enrichedbynewfindings,wassubsequentlypublishedas:Twór-
czośćplastycznażołnierzy-artystówWładysławaAndersawlatach1942-1949,(in:)J.W.Sienkiewicz,Sztuka
wpoczekalni.Studiazdziejówplastykipolskiejnaemigracji1939-1989,Toruń2012,pp.63-96.
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