Born on 5th January 1869 in Kraków to the family of a sculptor. His relatives raised him from 1880. He studied at St. Anne's Grammar School, where he made friends with Józef Mehoffer, Lucjan Rydel, Stanisław Estreich. In 1887 he commenced his study of painting at the Fine Arts School in Kraków, where Jan Matejko was the principal. Matejko trusted his outstanding student with collaboration in the creation of polychroming during the renovation of St Mary's Church. In 1887-90 and 1896-1897 he attended the Jagiellonian University, where he listened to lectures on history, art history and literature. In 1890 he travelled abroad through Italy and Switzerland to France, and then to Germany and Prague. Between 1891 and 1894 he went to Paris three times and attended a private school - the Academie Colarossi, he came into contact with Paul Gauguin, he frequented the theatre and opera. He came back to Kraków in 1904. He designed and partly created the polychrome surfaces in a renovated church of the Franciscans. He established co-operation with the Municipal Theatre in Kraków. In 1897 he commenced the co-operation with Kraków's "Życie" ("Life") as an illustrator, in 1902 he became a reader at the Fine Art Academy, and in 1905 an alderman in Kraków. |
He was an interior and furniture designer. In 1905, when he ran for the post of the principal of the Municipal Theatre in Kraków, he planned to reconstruct and enrich the great theatre repertoire; J. Solski eventually obtained the post. He was seriously ill for many years and was finally confined in Węgorzyce near Kraków. There he finished the commenced works, partially by means of dictation only. He died on 28th November 1907 in Kraków. His funeral became a national manifestation; he was buried at the cemetery for the distinguished at Skałka. Dramatist, poet, painter, reformer of theatre. He wrote 37 plays altogether - just like William Shakespeare. Being familiar with various conventions of European drama writing, he wrote dramas referring to the tradition of ancient drama (Powrót Odysa, Achilleis), and that of Shakespearean drama - he wrote a treatise-paraphrase of Hamlet; Legenda ("A Legend") and his debut Daniel refers to Wagner's work; Protesilas and Laodomia to Maeterlinck's play; he commented on the November Uprising (1830/1831) in his dramas: Warszawianka, Lelewel, Noc listopadowa; he reinterpreted Polish history in Legenda, Bolesław Śmiały and Skałka. In his ideological trilogy: Wesele ("The Wedding") (1901), Wyzwolenie ("Liberation") (1903) and Akropolis ("Acropolis") (1904) he proposed a fundamental reckoning with contemporary Poland. He was the first to stage the whole of Mickiewicz's play - Dziady ("Forefathers' Eve"); the creator and ideologue of Polish monumental theatre, derived from XVI Lekcje, Mickiewicz's lectures on Slavic literature. Wesele, which is considered the most important of Wyspiański's dramas, was inspired by the wedding of the poet's friend - Lucjan Rydel. Wesele, staged for the first time on 16th March 1901, soon lost its journalistic character and became one of the most important voices in the discussion about Poland; apart from numerous theatre productions, the film by Andrzej Wajda (1973) deserves attention. Marek Adamiec |
