Le séminaire « Outils et méthodes de la recherche en SHS » du 25/04/2023 : The Far East in 18th-century sacred spaces. French inspirations in the chinoiserie decoration of the main altar and music choir of the Jesuit church in Grudziadz

Le Centre de civilisation française et d’études francophones de l’Université de Varsovie vous invite au séminaire doctoral Outils et méthodes de la recherche en SHS.

The Far East in 18th-century sacred spaces. French inspirations in the chinoiserie decoration of the main altar and music choir of the Jesuit church in Grudziadz

Chinoiserie is a cultural phenomenon that increased in popularity in European art in the first half of the 18th century. Motifs inspired by Far Eastern art were intertwined with elements typical of Rococo during this period and were used primarily in the decoration of court interiors. There are, however, a few examples of chinoiserie decoration being applied to sacred interiors. Most of them come from the territory of the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and one of the best-known examples is the furnishings of the Jesuit church in Grudziadz (Graudenz, historically Vistula Pomerania, in the Chełmno Land). Chinoiserie decoration, taken from French engravings, can be found here on the main altar, pulpit and music choir. The main aim of this presentation will be to prove the influence of French designers on the spread of chinoiserie fashion in 18th-century Poland, also in religious art. To this purpose, I will identify and describe the French iconographic designs used by the creator of chinoiserie from Grudziądz, the potential ways in which such iconographic sources circulated, as well as the most important artists whose work may have influenced the adaptation of chinoiserie in Polish sacred art of the 18th century.

Karolina Szymankiewicz – graduate of Art History and Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology at the University of Warsaw. PhD student at the Institute of Art History, University of Warsaw and educator at the National Museum in Warsaw. In her research practice, she deals with “art at the crossroads of cultures” and artistic settings of the cult of relics in the modern era, as well as materiality in culture.

DATE : le mardi 25/04/2023, 17h

LIEU : la Bibliothèque du CCFEF, 55 rue Dobra, salle 3.012

LANGUE : anglais

Le séminaire a un caractère ouvert, si vous souhaitez y participer via zoom, merci de contacter Emma Kołodziejek e.kolodziejek@uw.edu.pl .