Jan Styka (April 8, 1858 – April 11, 1925) was a Polish painter noted for producing large

historical History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...

, battle-piece, and

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

religious panoramas. He was also illustrator and poet. Known also as a great patriotic speaker - his speeches were printed in 1915 under the French title ''L'ame de la Pologne'' (The Soul of Poland).

Biography

The son of a

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...

officer in

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

, Styka attended school in his native Lemberg (Polish: Lwów, now Lviv) then studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

following which he took up residence in

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

in 1882 where he studied historical painting under

Jan Matejko Jan Alojzy Matejko (; also known as Jan Mateyko; 24 June 1838 – 1 November 1893) was a Polish painter, a leading 19th-century exponent of history painting, known for depicting nodal events from Polish history. His works include large scale ...

. Next he returned to Lviv and opened there a workshop. Here, together with celebrated Polish historical painter

Wojciech Kossak Wojciech Horacy Kossak (31 December 1856 – 29 July 1942) was a Polish Painting, painter and member of the celebrated Kossak family of artists and writers. He was the son of painter Juliusz Kossak, and twin brother of freedom fighter Tadeusz Ko ...

, they created his most famous work in Poland – '' The Racławice Panorama'', a 15x114 meter cycloramic painting now on display as part of the National Museum in Wrocław. Later he travelled to

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

for a short time before moving to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

where the great art movements at

Montmartre Montmartre ( , , ) is a large hill in Paris's northern 18th arrondissement of Paris, 18th arrondissement. It is high and gives its name to the surrounding district, part of the Rive Droite, Right Bank. Montmartre is primarily known for its a ...

and

Montparnasse Montparnasse () is an area in the south of Paris, France, on the left bank of the river Seine, centred at the crossroads of the Boulevard du Montparnasse and the Rue de Rennes, between the Rue de Rennes and boulevard Raspail. It is split betwee ...

were taking shape and where he would spend a large part of his life. Jan Styka - Polonia 1891

In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the May 3rd Constitution, Styka pained the monumental painting ''Polonia'', which was the centerpiece of Constitution Day celebrations in 1891 in Lviv. Among Styka's important works is the large scene of ''

Saint Peter Saint Peter (born Shimon Bar Yonah; 1 BC – AD 64/68), also known as Peter the Apostle, Simon Peter, Simeon, Simon, or Cephas, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the first leaders of the Jewish Christian#Jerusalem ekklēsia, e ...

preaching the

Gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

in the

Catacombs Catacombs are man-made underground passages primarily used for religious purposes, particularly for burial. Any chamber used as a burial place is considered a catacomb, although the word is most commonly associated with the Roman Empire. Etym ...

'' (seen here) painted in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

in 1902. Besides ''The Racławice Panorama'', his renowned panoramas include '' Bem in Siedmiogrod'' (1897) and ''The Martydrom of Christians in Nero's Circus'' (1897).

Personal life

Sons (1889–1954) and (1890–1959) were both painters. Styka died in 1925 and was buried in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

. However, in 1959 Hubert Eaton arranged with Styka's family for his remains to be brought to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

for interment in the "Hall of The Immortals" at Forest Lawn cemetery.

''The Crucifixion''

Wide View-Hall of Crucifixion-Resurrection

In 1910 Styka painted a portrait of esteemed pianist and Polish statesman,

Ignacy Jan Paderewski Ignacy Jan Paderewski (; r 1859– 29 June 1941) was a Polish pianist, composer and statesman who was a spokesman for Polish independence. In 1919, he was the nation's Prime Minister of Poland, prime minister and foreign minister durin ...

, which is now at the National Museum of Poland in

Poznań Poznań ( ) is a city on the Warta, River Warta in west Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business center and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John's ...

. Previously, near the end of the 19th century, Paderewski had commissioned Styka to paint what would become his most famous work internationally. Originally entitled "Golgotha" (the Aramaic name for the site of Christ's crucifixion), the painting became known simply as ''The Crucifixion''. This piece is an enormous panorama standing long by in height. Upon its commission in 1894, Styka travelled to

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

to prepare sketches, and to

, where his palette was blessed by

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the Ap ...

. The painting was unveiled in

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

to great success on June 22, 1897. It was shown in many of the great cities of Europe, before making its way to America, to join the 1904 St. Louis Exposition. The painting was seized when Styka's American partners failed to pay the customs taxes, and was considered lost for nearly forty years. In 1944 the painting was found, rolled around a telephone pole and badly damaged, having languished in the basement of the Chicago Civic Opera Company for decades. Acquired by American businessman, Hubert Eaton, the painting was restored by Jan Styka's son, artist . It is on display in the Hall of the Crucifixion at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California. In 2005–2006 the painting underwent a massive restoration as part of Forest Lawn's centennial celebration. It currently is shown, except on Mondays, on the hour, except 1:00 p.m., from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.. It features a new, state of the art guided light show and narrated presentation written by biblical scholar and filmmaker Timothy Kirk.

Selected paintings

File:Jan Styka - Kalipso.jpg, '' Calypso'' File:Jan Styka - Madonna.jpg, ''

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

'', 1906 File:Jan Styka - Nero at Baiae.jpg, ''

Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68) was a Roman emperor and the final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 until his ...

Baiae Baiae (; ) was an ancient Roman town situated on the northwest shore of the Gulf of Naples and now in the ''comune'' of Bacoli. It was a fashionable resort for centuries in antiquity, particularly towards the end of the Roman Republic, when i ...

'', c. 1900 File:Jan Styka Rabbi with tefillin.jpg, ''

Rabbi A rabbi (; ) is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi—known as ''semikha''—following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of t ...

with

Tefillin Tefillin (Modern Hebrew language, Israeli Hebrew: / ; Ashkenazim, Ashkenazic pronunciation: ; Modern Israeli Hebrew, Modern Hebrew pronunciation: ), or phylacteries, are a set of small black leather boxes with leather straps containing scrolls o ...

'', ca. 1925 File:Woman with Horse.jpg, ''Nymph and a Horse'', c. 1920 File:Portrait of Maryla Młodnicka-Wolska1894.jpg, ''Portrait of Maryla Młodnicka-Wolska'' File:Wladyslaw Szujski death 1914.JPG, ''Death of Władysław Szujski in the Battle of Sillery'' File:Kazimierz Pułaski.PNG, '' Kazimierz Pułaski'', ca. 1925 File:Dream of Polish volunteers in French army 1914.JPG, ''Dream of Polish Volunteers in French Trenches''

References

External links

*Details of the "''Panorama of the Battle of Racławice''" a
the Wroclaw Municipality website
*Details of "''The Crucifixion''" a
the Forest Lawn website
*Maria Styk

{{DEFAULTSORT:Styka, Jan 1858 births 1925 deaths Artists from Lviv Artists from the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria Polish people of Czech descent 19th-century Polish painters 19th-century Polish male artists 20th-century Polish painters 20th-century Polish male artists Academy of Fine Arts Vienna alumni Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) Polish male painters Catholic painters