The Right's View on the Arts from Theend of 19th Century to 1939

Abstract

The specific problem of the Right point of view on Fine Arts has never been discussed by Polish press and other publications. Basically because of politic situation after 1945 but also because the Right showed no interest in the matter. This text focused on opinions published in two basic right-wing journals: “Myśl Narodowa” and “Prosto z Mostu.”

At the turn of the century, when the Right started to form, the situation of Polish Art was so strong that it was no need to look for politicians' support. In contrary politicians claimed (Roman Dmowski) that people paid to much attention to Arts instead of taking care of patriotic education and economy development. Art and literature tradition was opposite to civic act.

The Right was against individualism created by nineteenth's century liberalism against common slogan “Art for Art” (Jan Gwalbert Pawlikowski). Culture should be organic, fixed together of all forms and relations of the Past and connected with a real place on Earth. It was the Right which created the social interest in the field of environment protection as a Common Good given us by God (Jan Gwalbert Pawlikowski). Therefore the landscape painting and art based on folk roots was highly preferred by the Right. By the way, both kinds of artistic activity developed very well that time. The best example of right wing art preference was “styl zakopiański” created by Stanisław Witkiewicz as a proposal for “National Style.”

In the first years of independence after World War One the Right totally neglected culture affairs. ln the mid twentieth the Right started to pay more attention to Arts, but the most important was the fight with foreign influence of French Art mainly. The Right was also against official art supported by the government, first of all against all the artists connected with such public institutions as Instytut Propagandy Sztuki and Towarzystwo Szerzenia Sztuki Polskiej Wśród Obcych.

The interest in Art rose in the beginning of thirties just after the breakdown in the Right. The dominant characteristic of right wing in that period was a turn back towards Christian Notions and a distinct close up to the Church. It was a Christian tradition seen as basic roots of Polish culture autonomy, so the Right suggested the Art should get back to it.

Weekly magazine “Prosto z Mostu” with its Editor Stanisław Piasecki played the most important role in the creation of right wing ideas in the second half of thirties. Its art critics (Bolesław Miciński, Jerzy Bajkowski, Jerzy Wolff, Tytus Czyżewski) were for Colorist Painting and for straight design art devoted to average public. They claimed the theme in painting is a minor matter.

In long lasted discussions about totalitarianism authors of the magazine rarely included specific art problems. In their opinions totalitarian country should only take a social care of artists and should give them public commissions.