Description
Book SynopsisYoung Poland: The Polish Arts and Crafts Movement, 1890–1918 is the first book in any language to explore the Young Poland (Młoda Polska) period in the context of the international Arts and Crafts movements.
The Young Poland movement emerged in the 1890s in response to the country’s non-existence for almost a century. It embraced an unprecedented flourishing of applied arts and the revival of crafts, drawing inspiration from nature, history, peasant traditions and craftsmanship to convey patriotic values.
The book argues that Young Poland shared fundamental parallels with the British Arts and Crafts Movement, and that it was specifically this Arts and Crafts ethos that fuelled the movement’s patriotic ideology and the nation’s quest to regain Polish independence.
The lavishly illustrated publication charts the rich history of the artists, designers and craftspeople whose schemes came to define Young Poland, including over 250 illustrations of ceramics, furniture, textiles, paper cuttings, wood carvings, tableware, stained glass, book arts, children’s toys and Christmas decorations, as well as domestic, church and civic interior decoration schemes.
The book is the culmination of an international research project co-financed by the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage as part of the ‘Inspiring Culture' Programme. It is a collaboration between Lund Humphries, the William Morris Gallery, the National Museum in Kraków and the Polish Cultural Institute, London.
Trade ReviewFeatured on the
Financial Times’s list of ‘Best new art books for autumn’, 2020
'The spirit of Young Poland deserves the attention this book gives' -
Art Quarterly magazine
"The book is well-researched and beautifully illustrated. With such diverse work within a single movement, the illustrations take on particular importance. It provides a helpful overview of the movement, its key people, places and ideas. Then, a series of seven studies of objects and crafts practices provides more in-depth perspectives." -
Studio International'Having presented a comprehensive overview of the ethos of Young Poland along with an account of its main protagonists, in the second half of the catalogue the editors provide an extensive visual display of the artefacts and designs produced by members of this movement... Taken together, these treasures along with the catalogue essays which provide an insightful overview of how they came to be made, serve to show how protean and culturally vital the Young Poland movement was.' –
Pre-Raphaelite ReviewTable of ContentsAcknowledgements; Preface: Young Poland and the Search for a National Style; Editors’ Introduction: Young Poland and the Arts and Crafts Movement, 1890–1918 – A New Perspective; PART 1: The Making of the Polish Arts and Crafts Movement: Key People, Places and Ideas; 1. The Reception of the Pre-Raphaelites and the Arts and Crafts Movement in Poland; 2. Fellow Arts and Crafts Reformers Stanisław Wyspiański and William Morris: Parallel Lives; 3. ‘Let Us Surround Ourselves With Our Own Beauty’: Stanisław Wyspiański’s Decorative Scheme for the Franciscan Church in Kraków; 4. ‘Disappointed Love’: Stanisław Wyspiański and Wawel; 5. Wyspiański’s Chochoły: A Meditation on the ‘Straw Man’ Generation; 6. The Zakopane Style of Stanisław Witkiewicz; 7. Karol Kłosowski and the Silent Villa: Living the Arts and Crafts Life in the Tatras; 8. Karol Kłosowski (1882–1971): The Last Young Poland Artist and a Genius for Ornament; 9. ‘Fine Handwork of Various Professions’: The Kraków Workshops; 10. Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska (b.1891, Kraków, d.1945, Manchester): The Pictorial Art of Young Poland’s Daughter; PART 2: Objects and Craft Practices in Focus; 11. Interiors and Furniture; 12. Edward Bartłomiejczyk’s Design for a Nursery; 13. Textiles; 14. Ceramics; 15. Children’s Toys and Christmas-Tree Decorations from the Kraków Workshops; 16. The Book Beautiful; 17. Painting; Notes; Select Bibliography; Contributor Biographies; Index; Image Credits
