Art historian Julia Griffin introduces the Polish Młoda Polska (Young Poland) movement and the work of its foremost representative, the artist, designer and writer Stanisław Wyspiański (1869–1907).
Like William Morris, Wyspiański was a polymath, whose prolific output included church and domestic interior decoration. He designed patterns, wall paintings, stained glass, furniture, textiles, book arts and stage sets. Wyspiański was instrumental in the foundation of the Polish Applied Arts Society (1901), the equivalent of Morris’s Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society.
Drawing on nature and the folk tradition, Wyspiański played a significant part in developing a distinctive national style, characterised by a ‘return to crafts’. The talk will focus on his famous decorative scheme at the Franciscan Church in Kraków (1895–1904), which invites comparisons with the work of Morris & Co.
WHEN: Saturday, May 11, 2019 at 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM
WHERE: William Morris Gallery: Lloyd Park, Forest Road, E17 4PP London
Free. No need to book.
