Today marks the anniversary of the birth of Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz, also known as Witkacy – an unconventional and versatile artist: painter, philosopher, playwright and novelist, art theorist and critic. Did you know that he was also a close friend of Karol Szymanowski? Here are a few interesting facts about their relationship!
They met in the summer of 1904 in Zakopane, while Witkiewicz was still studying at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków. As Artur Rubinstein later recalled, he and his friends gathered for musical and social evenings filled with “never-ending discussions”: “We argued passionately about art, music, literature, and we felt deeply happy”.
Villa “Władysławka”, where Artur Rubinstein met Szymanowski and Witkacy (1903)
Szymanowski dedicated his Piano Sonata No. 1 in C minor, Op. 8 to Witkacy. In return, Witkacy dedicated his play Nowe wyzwolenie to the composer and portrayed him in his novels: Pożegnanie jesieni, Nienasycenie, and Jedyne wyjście. At Villa “Atma” in Zakopane – Szymanowski’s former home – three of Witkacy’s portraits of the composer can still be seen today: Karol Szymanowski z muszką (1930), Karol Szymanowski. Czerwone Wierchy (1931), and Karol Szymanowski w krawacie (1931).
Karol Szymanowski z muszką (“K. Szymanowski with a bow”, Witkacy, 1930)
In the 1917 letter, Szymanowski wrote to Witkacy: “In the deepest parts of life, no one is as close to me as you (and Harry Neuhaus)”. In 2008, based on their correspondence, a play titled Witkacy at Szymanowski’s was staged at “Atma”.
A letter written by Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz to Karol Szymanowski in Zakopane (05.05.1923)
The largest collection of Witkacy’s works in Poland (around 250 pieces) is held at the Muzeum Pomorza Środkowego w Słupsku. His art can also be found in the Gallery of 20th-Century Polish Art at the Muzeum Narodowe in Kraków.
Autoportret w mundurze (“Self-portrait in a uniform”), Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz, 07.24.1917
In the PBM’s Ikonoteka, you can find more photographs and memorabilia related to Witkacy and Szymanowski.
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