Tellurism and folklore in the interwar period on the example of the Warsaw painters’ association Pro Arte

Abstract

The text is an analysis of the phenomenon of fascination with folklore and folk art in the interwar period in Poland. The examples cited relate to the context of inspiration of visual artists, in particular those associated with the Warsaw art association Pro Arte such as: Stanisław Masłowski (1853–1926), Henryk Piątkowski (1853–1923), Stefan Popowski (1870–1937), Józef Rapacki (1871–1929), Stanisław Straszkiewicz (1870–1925), Czesław Tański (1862–1942), Władysław Wankie (1860–1925), Marian Wawrzeniecki (1863–1943), Henryk Weyssenhoff (1859-1922), Teodor Ziomek (1874–1937). The group functioned between 1922 and 1932 in an environment similar to that of the Society for the Encouragement of Fine Arts Two themes in particular will be addressed: attachment to the native land (the concept of tellurism) as expressed in the landscape paintings of the group’s members and interest in stylised native folklore.