Pułaski at Częstochowa (Episode from Bar Confederation times)

The protagonist of the painting is Kazimierz Pułaski, the leading commander and marshal of the Bar Confederation. The scene refers to one of the most notorious heroic deeds from the guerrilla war that the Confederates had led since 1768. It presents the triumph of Kazimierz Pułaski and his uprising unit near Jasna Góra - one of the most important symbols of Poland and the spiritual capital of millions of Poles. There, in 1771, Pulaski managed to defeat the well-armed and predominantly Russian troops under the leadership of general Iwan Drewicz. Echoes of this heroic and successful confederate army defending the Jasna Góra monastery crossed the Polish borders. Pułaski's achievements were published in newspapers published throughout Western Europe. Jan Jakub Rousseau wrote his hopes after this victory: “The Confederacy will save the dying Poles' homeland!” The heroic defence of the fortress went down to the legend, making Kazimierz Pułaski the hero of the struggle for the freedom of the Polish nation, once again consolidating the status of Jasna Góra as a symbol of resistance and the fight for national and religious freedom of Poles.