14 Works, December 20th. is Józef Unierzyski's day, his art, illustrated with footnotes #252

Józef Unierzyski  (1863–1948)

Józef Unierzyski/ Decent from the Cross, c. 1887

Oil on canvas

Height: 151 cm (59.4 in); Width: 277 cm (109 in)

National Museum in Kraków

The Descent from the Cross is considered his best, most stylish and effective work, which - as it was written - "among the gray and quite sterile painting production in those years [...] must have become an event in Krakow's painting relations. Criticism fell into admiration, master Matejko was pleased to testify that a work so widely received with applause came out of his masterpiece ".

Unierzyski, with the academic correctness of the drawing and composition, presented a scene in which Jesus has already been taken down from the cross and is lying on a white shroud - similar to the scenes depicting the mourning. What draws attention in the painting is a mood that combines harmony, peace and sentiment, with an appropriate accent of drama obtained through a slightly exaggerated theatricality of gestures. More on this painting

Józef Unierzyski (20 December 1863, Milewo - 29 December 1948, Kraków) was a Polish painter. From 1891, he served as a Professor of drawing at the Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków.

He began his studies at the School of Drawing in Warsaw Thanks to a scholarship from the Society for the Encouragement of Fine Arts, granted in 1883, he was able to continue his studies in Munich and Italy, where he attended the "Scuola libera" and the Accademia di San Luca in Rome. When he returned to Poland, he studied at the School of Fine Arts with Jan Matejko. Later, he would marry Matejko's daughter, Helena.

Józef Unierzyski

Self-portrait with harpies

Oil on canvas

Masovian Museum in Płock

Harpies were the spirits of sudden, sharp gusts of wind. They were known as the hounds of Zeus and were despatched by the god to snatch away people and things from the earth. Sudden, mysterious dissappearances were often attributed to the Harpyiai. More on Harpies

Józef Unierzyski

Self-portrait with Vena

Polonia Art

I have no further description, at this time

Józef UNIERZYSKI (1863-1948)

Self-portrait among muses

Oil on board

23.5 x 32 cm

Private collection

Józef Unierzyski
Homage to Upper Silesia, c. 1931

Oil on canvas

Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Katowice

This subject matter emphasized the establishment of the Silesian Voivodeship as an autonomous part of the Republic of Poland and the establishment of a new diocese, the main patron of which was the Mother of God, as well as the relationship with the state restored in 1918. 

Unierzyski illustrated not only the portrait of the spiritual community that the parish always constitutes, but also what was important for the state and province at that time. Hence the banners: red with a white eagle - symbolizing Poland, and blue with a golden eagle - Upper Silesia, history - in the "Mighty Virgin", where Mary and the Child, surrounded by angels, "defend Jasna Częstochowa" and defeat the infidels symbolized by Turks, Swedes, but and Bolshevik or contemporary times...  More on this painting

Józef Unierzyski

Zaraza/ Plague, c. 1887

Oil on canvas

80×161,5 cm

Płock, Muzeum Mazowieckie

He became a Deputy Assistant at the School in 1889 and became an Assistant in 1891. Six years later, he was approved as a Professor. In the academic years 1895/96 and 1908/09, he operated his own drawing school. He voluntarily retired in 1909. During World War I, he taught night classes on commission.

Józef UNIERZYSKI (1863-1948)

Madonna

Pastel

47,5 x 31,5 cm

Private collection

ózef Unierzyski

LITTLE MUSICIANS BEFORE MADONNA WITH THE CHILD

Oil, canvas

90 cm x 75.5 cm

Private collection

Unierzyski remained faithful to religious theme by creating large-format paintings intended for churches - images of saints, Stations of the Cross, a series of "Marian" paintings for St. Mary's Church in Katowice (1928-1930).

Although the artist lived in the times of shaping new trends and trends in art, he remained indifferent to them, maintaining his work in the style and spirit of nineteenth-century academic painting. More on this painting

Józef UNIERZYSKI

Jawnogrzesznica/ Harlot, c. 1920

Oil on canvas

91 x 132cm

Private collection

Jesus and the woman taken in adultery is a famous passage found in the Gospel of John 7:53-8:11, that has been the subject of much scholarly discussion. In the passage, Jesus has sat down in the temple to teach some of the people. A group of scribes and Pharisees confront Jesus, interrupting his teaching session. They bring in an adulteress, and invite Jesus to pass judgment upon her: should she be stoned, as Moses taught, or not? Jesus first ignores the interruption, and writes on the ground as though he does not hear them. But after the religious leaders continue their challenge, he states that the one who is without sin is the one who should cast the first stone. The religious leaders depart, leaving Jesus and the woman in the midst of the crowd. Jesus then asks the woman if anyone has condemned her. When she answers that no one has condemned her, Jesus says that he, too, does not condemn her, and tells her to go and sin no more. More on Jesus and the woman taken in adultery

Józef Unierzyski

Queen of Peace, c. 1928

Oil on canvas

 Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Katowice

Józef Unierzyski

Virgin Most Powerful, c. 1931

Oil on canvas

Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Katowice

Mary and the Child surrounded by angels descend from the ramparts of Jasna Góra, the main Polish Marian sanctuary, which became famous for its defense against the Swedes in 1655, towards the figures of the enemies of the Church and Poland huddled on the ground—the Muslims Turk and Tatar, a Protestant Swede and a Bolshevik. The defense of the Catholic faith was presented as a destiny of the nation, particularly beloved by the Mother of Christ. More on this painting

Józef UNIERZYSKI (1863-1948)

Genre scene

Oil on canvas

100.5 x 126 cm,

Private collection

Throughout his career, he painted in a modified Academic style and remained unimpressed by Modernism. He painted works in a variety of types; including portraits, historical scenes and religious subjects, but also created works with mythological, allegorical and symbolic content.

Jozef Unierzyski

Before an Inn, c. 1891

Oil on canvas

132 x 191cm

National Museum, Warsaw

Józef UNIERZYSKI (1863-1948)

Pomona - Woman with a Tray of Fruit, circa 1935

Oil on canvas

80 x 84 cm

Private collection

His most familiar painting, "Zdjęcie z krzyża" (picture or photograph with the Cross, a post-crucifixion scene), from 1887, is on display at the National Museum, Kraków (see above). His works may also be seen at the National Museum, Warsaw, and the Bielsko-Biała Museum and Castle, among others. Several locations have his religious murals, notably including a Marian Cycle of six panels at St. Mary's Church, Katowice. More on Józef Unierzyski

Please visit my other blogs: Art Collector, Mythology, Marine Art, Portrait of a Lady, The Orientalist, Art of the Nude and The Canals of Venice, Middle East Artists, 365 Saints and 365 Days, also visit my Boards on Pinterest

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