Parnassus on the Vistula River. Kazimierz Dolny and the Artists

Michał Szarek

There are many cities known from the history of art, which artists are especially fond of. There were great centers, such as Florence, Rome or Paris, related to the center of power and economy, where artists flocked for understandable reasons. Art was needed there more than anywhere else. This "elsewhere" is an artistic periphery, traditionally contrasted with "Paris" and "Rome". However, not all places important in art history, which are not the center, are "periphery" in this model. There have been places in history that were off the beaten track, but where artists came especially willingly, and felt creatively "activated" by them. One of those places is Kazimierz Dolny 

The city and its phenomenal monuments attracted the attention of the artists as early as in the 18th century. It is from this time that the works, which are extremely important from the point of view of the history come from - illustrations, also created in the 19th century. They were created by painters - travelers for whom Kazimierz Dolny was a stop on the map of their artistic journeys. We are talking about the performances of Zygmunt Vogel, Napoleon Orda or the works of Wojciech Gerson. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, outstanding Polish artists were active in the city, painting their truly modernist landscapes - Józef Pankiewicz, Stanisław Masłowski, Stanisław Czajkowski and Władysław Ślewiński.

The interwar period was undoubtedly the most interesting moment in the artistic history of Kazimierz. It was then that this center became a real artistic colony. Following the outstanding professor from Warsaw, Tadeusz Pruszkowski, his equally brilliant students came to the city. Kazimierz became the stage for their artistic actions, which often turned into a spectacular spectacle. It is enough to mention the names of such renowned artists as Bolesław Cybis, Antoni Michalak, Aleksander Jędrzejewski, Jerzy Jełowicki or Teresa Roszkowska, Pruszkowski's favorite and the star of the legendary Kazimierz plein-airs.

Art was constantly created in Kazimierz Dolny on the Vistula River. After World War II, the city revived. In the second half of the 20th century, modern artists still noticed the phenomenon of the Kazimierz colony. Similarly today, Kazimierz is teeming with life and art. Many proprietary galleries run by the creators are thriving in the city. The long duration of the artistic tradition of this center is best illustrated by the example of the Michalak family. Starting from the doyen of the family, who rendered great service to Kazimierz Antoni Michalak, through his two sons, Janusz and Tadeusz, to the youngest creator, Jan Michalak.