A Triptych by Jacek Malczewski
Law–Motherland–Art (Prawo–Ojczyzna–Sztuka) dated 1903. Three paintings by Jacek Malczewski, a representative of Symbolism in Polish painting at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries
The Law (Between Life and Death), the left part of the triptych: The Law – The Motherland – The Art (1903) by Jacek Malczewski (1854–1929)National Museum in Wrocław
Jacek Malczewski: “Law”
The first part of the triptych depicts three figures: the god of death Thanatos, the artist, and a satyr playing the flute.
The Motherland (Feeling), the centre part of the triptych: The Law – The Motherland – The Art (1903) by Jacek Malczewski (1854–1929)National Museum in Wrocław
Jacek Malczewski: “Motherland”
The central part of the triptych depicts a woman with two children, a girl and a boy. The woman symbolizes the Polish Mother (Mater Poloniae).
The Art (Fantasy), the right part of the triptych: The Law – The Motherland – The Art (1903) by Jacek Malczewski (1854–1929)National Museum in Wrocław
Jacek Malczewski: “Art”
The right side of the triptych depicts a procession of several figures who symbolize the role of art in the Polish drive for independence.
The Law (Between Life and Death), the left part of the triptych: The Law – The Motherland – The Art (1903) by Jacek Malczewski (1854–1929)National Museum in Wrocław
“Law”: the symbolism of specific figures
A figure taken from Greek mythology is the sinister-looking god of death Thanatos, an angel with bat wings growing from the sides of his head.
Thanatos
He symbolizes death with all its horror, depicted as a scythe and red executioner’s gloves.
Satyr
A mythical figure playing the flute who symbolizes life and all its associated joys (music, dance, wine).
Centrally depicted self-portrait of the artist
It symbolizes Man standing between Life and Death, with the fundamental right to live and die with dignity.
The Motherland (Feeling), the centre part of the triptych: The Law – The Motherland – The Art (1903) by Jacek Malczewski (1854–1929)National Museum in Wrocław
“Motherland”: the symbolism of specific figures
The central painting of Malczewski’s triptych symbolizes the Polish Mother, depicted as a woman with a noble face who embodies eminence, dignity, and pride.
The boy
He is resting his head against the hand of the Mother who is resting her hand on a wanderer’s stick, which means that she still has to wander. This symbolizes the Polish motherland, enslaved during the partitions, for which there is no place anywhere.
The girl
She is holding manacles in her hand, clearly a reference to the political situation of enslaved Poland, which had disappeared from the maps of Europe and the world in 1795.
The artist’s wife Maria and their children, Julia Malczewska and Rafał Malczewski, were models for the “Motherland” painting.
The figures are placed in an open space of fields and meadows depicted in late spring. Vivid green and the colors of meadows and wild plants in bloom suggest that soon Poland would be reborn and in its heyday, just like nature.
The scene takes place at dawn, as suggested by the pink sky painted in the background. The time of the sunrise (first light) is a symbol of a new beginning, and it heralds the prospect of development, just like the start of a brand new day.
The motherland figure is wearing a telltale outfit, consisting of a red coat and a white dress.
Her hair is arranged in a bun in which there are dry heads of mountain thistles (stemless carline thistles).
All these elements allow a comparison of Polonia (Poland personified as a woman) to the figure of Christ scorned by his torturers as the king of the Jews (the red coat symbolizes royal purple but also the martyrdom and the blood spilled, and thistles are a symbol of the crown of thorns).
Portrait of Adam Mickiewicz (1899) by Władysław CiesielskiOriginal Source: MNW Cyfrowe
In this case, Malczewski consciously followed the messianism ideas of Adam Mickiewicz, who compared Poland to the suffering Christ, and stated that, just like Christ, Poland would eventually be resurrected and would bring salvation to other enslaved nations too.
The Motherland (Feeling), the centre part of the triptych: The Law – The Motherland – The Art (1903) by Jacek Malczewski (1854–1929)National Museum in Wrocław
If you look closely at the background of Malczewski’s painting, you will notice the silhouettes of various old buildings at the level of the horizon. These are historic buildings and churches which are closely linked to the history of the Republic of Poland.
Malczewski connected the two ends of this line by depicting Krakow buildings on the right (the Wawel Hill with the cathedral and the royal castle, St. Mary’s Basilica), and Warsaw buildings on the left (The Holy Cross Church and the townhouse). In this way he emphasized the role of both capitals of Poland.
Key buildings of Lviv (St. George’s Cathedral, the Carmelite Church, the townhouse) as well as The Jasna Góra Sanctuary (in Częstochowa, Central Poland) and, most likely, the Romanesque collegiate church in Tum near Łęczyca are also visible.
The Art (Fantasy), the right part of the triptych: The Law – The Motherland – The Art (1903) by Jacek Malczewski (1854–1929)National Museum in Wrocław
“Art”: the symbolism of specific figures
The artist is wearing a Russian military coat (shinel), a symbol of the enslavement of the Polish nation.
The artist’s sister, Bronisława, is walking in a procession on his left.
A bearded old man with his eyes closed is seen in the right corner. The painter most likely intended this person to represent Derwid, a character from Juliusz Słowacki’s drama “Lilla Weneda”.
Behind the artist, there is a young girl with red hair (a muse) who is leading a winged horse (it is of course the mythical Pegasus, which symbolizes the artist’s inspiration and the creative power of imagination).
The muse is holding a bay (laurel) branch, a symbol of victory, in her left hand.
The Law (Between Life and Death), the left part of the triptych: The Law – The Motherland – The Art (1903) by Jacek Malczewski (1854–1929)National Museum in Wrocław
Jacek Malczewski, who ardently loved his motherland, was fortunate to live long enough to see it regain independence. He also bore witness to a new heyday of the Republic of Poland after the tragic era of the partitions. This is because he lived another 11 years in free Poland, i.e., until 1929.
Michał A. Pieczka | Aleksandra Ziemlańska
