Walery Eljasz-Radzikowski
Rock Refuge of Father Stolarczyk in the Tatra Mountains, 1876
Gift of Felicjan Faleński, 1919
imnk
miniaturka

material: oil on cardboard

dimensions: 39,5 × 33 cm

description: The oeuvre of Walery Eljasz-Radzikowski illustrates the so-called golden age of tourism in the Tatras in the time of Tytus Chałubiński. Rock Refuge of Father Stolarczyk in the Tatra Mountains depicts a trip to the mountains. A few tourists and their highland guides are taking a rest in front of a natural shelter known as a rock refuge. This place, located in the valley called Czeska [Czech] or Ciężka [Heavy], was discovered in the 1860s by Father Józef Stolarczyk – the parish priest of Zakopane and one of Polish pioneer mountaineers in the Tatras. It is a static composition. The mountain scenery, portrayed with topographical accuracy, impresses with its power and majesty. The picture reveals the artist’s sober, scientific approach to nature. It is painted softly and smoothly, and its cool palette is relieved by the flame of a bonfire. The “Tatra” works by Eljasz-Radzikowski, reproduced in the press and published in the form of postcards, contributed greatly to the popularization of tourism in the Tatra Mountains and the customs of highlanders from the Podhale region. Moreover, they had influence on the creation of a new image of this region in national culture. Aleksandra Krypczyk

exposition: The Gallery of 19th Century Polish Art in Sukiennice,
The Cloth Hall, 1, Main Market Square


key: Realism, polish impressionism, beginnings of symbolism >>>

© 2010 National Museum in Krakow
design & concept: creator.pl
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