Józef Chełmoński 1849–1914

In the history of Polish art, Józef Chełmoński is one of the most highly regarded painters, and his work holds a special place. His visions of nature, views of the countryside and scenes from the lives of its inhabitants have been considered the quintessence of Polishness in 19th and early 20th century painting for over a century. Chełmoński, a Romantic, gifted with a spontaneous temperament, great vitality and sense of humour, created in an instinctive and intuitive way, independent of any programmatic assumptions. He was distinguished by an excellent sense of observation and an ability to remember the most fleeting impressions, which he then recorded on canvas.

The layout of the exhibition will reflect the most important areas of Chełmoński's interest in painting: it will show him as a chronicler of everyday village life, an artist fascinated by horses, their beauty, character, spontaneous dynamics of movement, and finally as a sensitive observer of nature, noting also the spiritual, religious and mystical dimension of its being. Designed in this way, the exhibition will provide an opportunity to take a new, critical look at Chełmoński's painting.

The exhibition is the culmination of a research project carried out jointly by the National Museums in Warsaw, Poznań and Kraków. It will be accompanied by a full catalogue of the paintings of Józef Chełmoński.