Selected aspects of painting technique of Alfred Wierusz-Kowalski

Abstract

Niniejszy artykuł dotyczy techniki malarskiej wybranych dzieł Alfreda Wierusza-Kowalskiego, pochodzących z kolekcji Muzeum Okręgowego w Suwałkach, Muzeum Sztuki w Łodzi oraz z kolekcji prywatnych. Warsztat tego artysty, obok wartości stylowych i tematycznych, jest uważany za przykład warsztatu typowego dla XIX-wiecznego akademizmu. Całościowe spojrzenie na dorobek A. Wierusza-Kowalskiego wskazuje na istotną w nim rolę szkiców malarskich, jako dzieł samodzielnych oraz ekspresyjnych faz wstępnych w obrazach opracowanych w końcowych etapach zgodnie z regułą akademicką. W jego malarstwie odnaleźć można symptomy nowych tendencji warsztatowych, które pojawiły się w malarstwie 2 poł. XIX i na początku XX wieku.

On the basis of the aforementioned analysis, it can be stated that Wierusz-Kowalski did not adhere to rigorous academic schemes. The path of his artistic development and the decisions he made as a result of his progress indicate that only as a young artist he was very much aware of what kind of creator he wanted to be and realized the most essential elements in his view of the world and art. It should be emphasized that the teachers, or rather the guides in the world of art, under the tutelage of whom he developed his skills did not try to influence the form and character of his work. The analysis of the works of Wierusz-Kowalski shows that the realistic convention of presenting the world there remained basically unchanged. However, in terms of painting techniques themselves, one can see the influence of the new trends emerging in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. It is visible in the area of the artistic means of expression and workshop methods, which the painter freely changed and individually developed. Wierusz-Kowalski fully enjoyed artistic freedom that was increasingly guaranteed by the Academy at that time. His sketches and expressive images referred to French and Belgian paintings, which placed a sensitive observation of nature above a long-term painting process in the studio. The supporters of this type of art were constantly on the rise, because the “first impression” and individuality of the creator were more and more appreciated. Expressive paintings and sketches became to be treated as finite works. A look at the artistic heritage of Wierusz-Kowalski from the perspective of contemporary changes in art and artistic approaches allows for a more complete assessment of the painter's output. From this point of view, the artist appears as a very sensitive and immensely talented creator, who expressed himself in numerous painted sketches and every so often was hidden behind academically accurate picture as well as completed works marked with considerable artistic autonomy.