Norwid’s opinion about art on the example of his allusions to Paul Delaroche’s last paintings

Abstract

The text is an analysis of an excerpt from Norwid's Czarne kwiaty (Black Flowers) connected with Paul Delaroche's last paintings. The author points to differences between Norwid's description of the painter's last work and the painting itself. The differences are also concerned with the facts connected with Delaroche's last series of pictures. There are a lot of mistakes, but – as the author points out – they constitute a logical whole. They were supposed to serve Norwid as proof that Delaroche was one of the most outstanding painters of his epoch – according to the hierarchy set up by the poet. The author expresses his opinion, based on the example of Black Flowers, that Norwid often applied this method. He willingly used biographies of artists that were popular at the end of the 18^th and in the first half of the 19^th centuries; he also used their works, as well as well-known and much discussed currents in art, or artistic schools, in this way making his meanings sharper or multiplying them.

For correct understanding of the meanings present in this type of presentations it is necessary to turn to the knowledge that all people in the times of Norwid had; people who were interested – even as amateurs – in art, that is. The author reproduces that knowledge (in the degree that is limited to the needs of this short article) using a variety of documents and other evidence. Owing to this, strange and often obscure allusions to Delaroche’s works become much clearer. Norwid proves to have a great knowledge from the area of history of art and to know a lot about contemporary debates and about artistic life. He used the information he had in a consistent, logical – and hence convincing – way. The interpretation made in the text also points to possible causes of the artistic choices he made.

An additional important conclusion is the statement that it is impossible to charge Norwid with obscurity since he used the knowledge that was common in his times.