Józef Mehoffer (19 March 1869 – 8 July 1946) was a Polish painter and decorative artist, one of the leading artists of the Young Poland movement and one of the most revered Polish artists of his time.

Life

Mehoffer was born in Ropczyce, studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków under Władysław Łuszczkiewicz, and later 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. ...

, as well as 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 ...

at the Académie Colarossi among others. There Mehoffer began painting portraits, often of people of historical significance. He later expanded his work to include different techniques, such as graphic art,

stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

, textiles, chalk drawings, etchings and book illustrations. He produced set designs for theatre, and stylized furniture designs. Mehoffer received international acclaim for his stained glass windows in the Gothic St Nicholas Collegiate Church in

Fribourg or is the capital of the Cantons of Switzerland, Swiss canton of Canton of Fribourg, Fribourg and district of Sarine (district), La Sarine. Located on both sides of the river Saane/Sarine, on the Swiss Plateau, it is a major economic, adminis ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

produced in 1895–1936. His other stained glass designs include the Radziwill Chapel in Balice (1892), Grauer Chapel in

Opava Opava (; , ) is a city in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 55,000 inhabitants. It lies on the Opava (river), Opava River. Opava is one of the historical centres of Silesia and was a historical capital of Czech Sile ...

(1901), church in

Jutrosin Jutrosin () is a town in Rawicz County, Greater Poland Voivodeship, Poland, with 1,947 inhabitants (2014). ...

(1902), Holy Cross Chapel at

Wawel The Wawel Royal Castle (; ''Zamek Królewski na Wawelu'') and the Wawel Hill on which it sits constitute the most historically and culturally significant site in Poland. A fortified residency on the Vistula River in Kraków, it was established o ...

(1904), sepulchral chapel in Goluchów (1906), Orgelmeister Chapel in Vienna (1910), cathedral in Włocławek (1935–1940), cathedral in Przemyśl (1940) and church in Dębniki near Kraków (1943). There are stained glass designed by Mehoffer in the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Turek; in the same church there are also mural paintings made by Mehoffer. Mehoffer explored various media further throughout his career to include a range of applied arts in his projects. He manufactured a multiplicity of book covers, ornaments and posters. Mehoffer – aside from his versatility in studio art – became known for his frescoes often reminiscent of

medieval art The medieval art of the Western world covers a vast scope of time and place, with over 1000 years of art in Europe, and at certain periods in Western Asia and Northern Africa. It includes major art movements and periods, national and regional ar ...

. He frequently collaborated with

Stanisław Wyspiański Stanisław Mateusz Ignacy Wyspiański (; 15 January 1869 – 28 November 1907) was a Polish playwright, painter, poet, and interior and furniture designer. A patriotic writer, he created symbolic national dramas accordant with the artisti ...

and

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 ...

. He died in

Wadowice Wadowice () is a town in southern Poland, southwest of Kraków with 17,455 inhabitants (2022), situated on the Skawa river, confluence of Vistula, in the eastern part of Silesian Foothills (Pogórze Śląskie). Wadowice is known for being the bir ...

Marriage and Family

In September 1899, Mehoffer married Jadwiga Janakowska, whom he had met five years earlier in Paris. They had a son, Zbigniew (1900–1985). Janakowska was the artist's muse and frequently posed for his portrait paintings.

Gallery

File:Mehoffer Strange garden.jpg, ''Strange Garden'' (1902–1903),

National Museum A national museum can be a museum maintained and funded by a national government. In many countries it denotes a museum run by the central government, while other museums are run by regional or local governments. In the United States, most nati ...

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 ...

File:Józef Mehoffer - Portret żony (Na letnim mieszkaniu) 1904.jpg, ''Portrait of Wife'' (1904),

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 ...

File:Józef Mehoffer - Słońce majowe.jpg, ''Sun in May'' (1911) File:Jozef Mehoffer - Witraz - MNK IV-Sz-2346 (20635).jpg, ''Vita somnium breve'',

stained-glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

, 1895, National Museum in Kraków File:Dzieje Krzyza Sw.jpg, Interior of the Holy Cross Chapel,

File:Cathedrale vitraux mehoffer victoire entier.jpg,

Stained-glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

Fribourg Cathedral Fribourg Cathedral () is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Fribourg, Switzerland, built in the Gothic architecture, Gothic style, on a rocky outcrop 50 metres above the river Saane/Sarine, Sarine (Saane), dominating the medieval town below. It is the ...

File:Cathedral Fribourg vitrail Dreikönig 01.jpg, Window of the Three Magi in Fribourg, Switzerland File:Cathedral Fribourg vitrail Maertyrer 01.jpg, Window of martyrs in Fribourg, Switzerland File:100 złotych 1934 r. REWERS.jpg, 100 złotych, 1934, issued by the Bank of Poland File:Ołtarz kościoła Najświętszego Serca Pana Jezusa w Turku.jpg, Cathedral in Turek

References

External links

Biography of Józef Mehoffer at artnet.comAbout Józef Mehoffer at www.culture.pl
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mehoffer, Jozef 1869 births 1946 deaths 19th-century Polish painters 19th-century Polish male artists 20th-century Polish painters 20th-century Polish male artists Polish people of German descent Burials at Rakowicki Cemetery Golden Laurel of the Polish Academy of Literature Academy of Fine Arts Vienna alumni Académie Colarossi alumni Polish male painters Commanders of the Order of Polonia Restituta École des Beaux-Arts alumni Academic staff of the Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts Polish printmakers People from Ropczyce-Sędziszów County Artists from Austria-Hungary

Life

Marriage and Family

Gallery

See also

References

External links