Henryk Siemiradzki i trzej wieszczowie

Abstrakt

The article discusses the myth of three bards: Adam Mickiewicz, Juliusz Slowacki and Zygmunt Krasinski that existed in the 19th century Polish literature and art criticism. Their literary works revealed the future picture of Poland liberated from oppressive conquerors. After the death of the poets, this role was attributed to the painters, first of all to Jan Matejko and Artur Grottger. The role of the “third bard” was most often assigned to Jozef Brandt or Henryk Siemiradzki. This myth of the bard was strengthened for the last time with the appearance of Stanislaw Wyspianski on the artistic scene. He was perceived as “the fourth bard”, a continuator of the highest tradition of Polish Romanticism, both in the field of the fine art and literature.