IV.

Culture

The great periods of Western cultural and intellectual expression are paralleled by the history of Polish creativity. The Italian Renaissance inspired a great burst of culture in Poland. The Reformation sped the development of a Polish vernacular literature, and in the 18th and 19th centuries Poles were greatly influenced by French culture. During the Stalinist period, which lasted in Poland from 1949 to 1955, artistic freedom was severely circumscribed by the government. After 1956 Poland’s cultural policies became generally more liberal.

A.

Literature

Poland has attained its highest artistic recognition in the field of literature. The greatest literary period is generally regarded as the romantic period of the 19th century, the chief figures being Adam Mickiewicz, Juliusz Słowacki, Zygmunt Krasiński, and Cyprian Kamil Norwid. Romanticism in drama and poetry was followed by realism, most notably in the novels of Bolesław Prus, Henryk Sienkiewicz, and Władysław Stanisław Reymont. Stanisław Wyspiański is regarded as the founder of modern Polish drama. Among the many prominent figures after 1945 were Jerzy Andrzejewski, Tadeusz Różewicz, Stanisław Lem, Leon Kruczkowski, and Zbigniew Załuski. The émigré Polish poet Czesław Miłosz received the Nobel Prize in literature in 1980. The 1996 Nobel Prize in literature was awarded to poet Wisława Szymborska, the fifth Polish-born writer to receive the prize. See Polish Literature.

B.

Music and Dance

Poland has a long tradition of folk music and dance. Although the country was heavily affected by the large-scale migration to urban areas that took place following World War II, Poland’s folk traditions still exist today, and are displayed for audiences by the well-known Mazowsze and Ślsk ensembles.

The best-known Polish composer is Frédéric Chopin (Polish Fryderyk Chopin), a pianist of the romantic school of music who lived during the first half of the 19th century. Chopin, who died at a young age, spent much of his life in France. However, he remained deeply loyal to Poland and many of his compositions were based on traditional Polish folk music and dances, such as the mazurka and the polonaise. The early 20th century composer Karol Szymanowski is regarded as the most important figure in Polish music after Chopin. Szymanowski is known for bringing together elements of Poland’s folk tradition and European musical styles. After World War II ended in 1945, a school of music emphasizing avant-garde elements developed in Poland. Krzysztof Penderecki was a well-known composer of this school. Important Polish musicians include the harpsichordist Wanda Landowska and the pianist Ignace Jan Paderewski.

C.

Art and Cinema

In painting, Polish artists have been mainly influenced by various Western movements and trends, although in the 20th century traditional peasant art has exerted some influence. Important works include Jan Matejko’s portrayals of scenes of Polish history. Poland’s folk arts and crafts range from pottery, fabrics, and embroidery, to sculpture, graphics, and painting.

Since 1950 a number of Polish filmmakers have achieved international renown. Krzysztof Kieślowski, a leading filmmaker in Eastern Europe in the 1960s and 1970s, achieved fame for his social documentaries and for his fictional films dealing with morality. Andrzej Wajda has chronicled political and social developments in Poland since World War II. In 2000 he received an honorary Academy Award for his many contributions to cinema. The filmmaker Roman Polanski, who headed to Hollywood in the late 1960s, returned to Poland to film The Pianist (2002). The film, which tells the story of a young musician who lived through the Nazi occupation of Warsaw, earned Polanski his first Academy Award for best director.

D.

Libraries and Museums

Poland has many museums, some of the most notable of which are the National Museum (founded in 1862), the Museum of Technology (1875), and the State Archaeological Museum (1923), all in Warsaw; the National Museum (1879) and the Wawel Royal Castle, both in Kraków; the Archaeological and Ethnographical Museum (1956), in Łódź; the Polish Maritime Museum (1960), in Gdańsk; and the Upper Silesian Museum (1927), in Katowice. Major libraries include the National Library (1928) and the main branch of the Public Library (1907), both located in Warsaw, as well as several university libraries.