IMITATION AND COLLECTION. A CONTRIBUTION TO THE REMBRANDTISM OF NORBLIN (Nasladowanie i kolekcjonerstwo. Przyczynek do rembrandtyzmu Norblina)

• Authors: Rosset de Tomasz F.
• Languages of publication: PL

Abstracts

EN

A significant element of the creativity by Jan Piotr Norblin de La Gourdaine are his drawings, watercolours and etchings depicting everyday life of the Polish nobility, Polish types and costumes, markets, local dietines, the events important in the eyes of the nation (the Constitution of May 3, 1791, Kosciuszko's Insurrection of 1794). For this reason in the common mind of the Polish people Norblin became fixed mainly as an illustrator of the history and customs of the last years of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. European commentators focused their attention on painting inspirations of his creativity, derived from the oeuvre of Watteau, but above all from Rembrandt's. Rembrandtism of Norblin has also become a subject of research of Polish history of art. There were comprehensively analysed here the influences of the graphics by the Dutch artist and reflection of these fascinations in collecting. It was Norblin who brought to Poland the 'Landscape with the Good Samaritan' (the Czartoryskis Museum at Kraków), and in his collection there was quite a number of etchings and drawings by the Master. The latter were frequently an object of specific artistic procedures consisting in retouching and repainting. An example of such treatment is the print of Rembrandt's 'Christ Preaching', 1652, called 'La Petite Tombe' (B. 67). With the help of water paints and ink Norblin significantly retouched it in such a way that while retaining its primary composition, he partially changed its character. A new play of light accentuating the central figure of Christ transformed this picture close to the convention of genre scene into an almost mystic vision. The result, however, did not please its creator, since on the reverse Norblin wrote: 'Retouche que jai faite en 1799 vu que jai la / Planche Jai fait cette Sottise moy indignes'. The author of the present test reflects on the motives that impelled the artist to interfere in such a significant way in the work of art of his great predecessor. He certainly sees some elements of rivalry here, but above all a failed artistic experiment trying to 'correct' some alleged mistakes of the Dutch artist made against the modern art doctrine, no respecting of the 'decorum' rule and clarity of a composition, as well as excessive naturalism and bizarre appearance of his work. .

Keywords

EN

ART (18TH AND 19TH C.); NORBLIN J. P.; PRINTMAKING; REMBRANDT; REMBRANDTISM

Discipline

• ARTS_&_ARCHITECTURE: ARTS & ARCHITECTURE

• Publisher: Polska Akademia Nauk
• Journal: Rocznik Historii Sztuki
• Year: 2008
• Volume: 33
• Pages: 219-229
• Document type: ARTICLE

Contributors

author

Rosset de Tomasz F.

• Tomasz F. de Rosset, Uniwersytet Mikolaja Kopernika w Tioruniu, Instytut Zabytkoznawstwa i Konserwatorstwa, Zaklad Muzealnictwa, ul. Sienkiewicza 30/32, 87-100 Torun, Poland

Identifiers

CEJSH db identifier

09PLAAAA061210