Who is Władysław Łuszczkiewicz?

Władysław Łuszczkiewicz (September 3, 1828 – May 23, 1900) was a Polish historical painter of the late Romantic time from Kraków, active in the time of the foreign partitions of Poland. He was a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts and served as its principal in 1893/95. One of his best students was Jan Matejko, the eminent Polish historical painter and later, his close associate. Łuszczkiewicz taught painting, drawing, anatomy and architectural styles. Highly educated, he furthermore worked as conservator of architectural monuments in the city later upon in his career, and wrote historical dissertations.

Władysław Łuszczkiewicz was born in Kraków in 1828 and after graduating from St Anne High School (where his daddy Michał of the Rola coat of arms was a professor), he enrolled at the Department of History of the Jagiellonian University. At the same time, he began to scrutiny painting at the School of Fine Arts once Wojciech Stattler and Jan Nepomucen Głowacki. His capability was rewarded behind a scholarship which enabled Łuszczkiewicz to continue his studies at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris from 1849. While in France, he then developed his lifelong engagement in historicism.

Łuszczkiewicz began to tutor art while still a student himself. His beloved Kraków was under the military regard as being of Austria-Hungary, and whatever fields of education were grossly neglected. He often gave private art classes for clear to struggling artists. Łuszczkiewicz was nominated as professor at the Academy in 1877. Among his students (aside from Matejko) were the superior luminaries of Polish art of the turn-of-the-century including Artur Grottger, Aleksander Kotsis, Józef Mehoffer, Jacek Malczewski, Stanisław Wyspiański and Wojciech Weiss. He introduced them to plein-air painting by organizing trips to places of historical significance outdoor the city.

In 1883 he was selected as director of the National Museum in Kraków. In 1893/95 he served as rector of the Academy of Fine Arts. His own historical paintings filled in the same way as knowledge of time artifacts and costume, were a great source of inspiration for Jan Matejko.^{[note 1]} They often came into swine as pictorial representations of his scientific discoveries and literature upon the subject. He stopped painting towards the halt of his dynamism and turned utterly to writing and art conservation advocacy. In tribute of his work, Łuszczkiewicz was awarded the title of doctor honoris causa of the Jagiellonian University in 1900, and died in Kraków prior to honor ceremony in the similar year. He was married to Malwina Ramloff (1858) and had four children: Napoleon, Zofia, Wojciech Józef, and Maria.