Pl.it (Dec 2021)
LEOPOLD NOWOTNY (1820-1870). HISTORIA RELACJI POLSKO-WŁOSKICH I POSZUKIWANIA NOWEGO KANONU
Abstract
This paper focuses on the history of contacts between Leopold Nowotny, a Polish painter of Czech origin who spent almost his entire life in Rome working within the circle of artists associated with Friedrich Overbeck, the Nazarenes movement, and Cyprian Kamil Norwid. In light of the discovered legacy of Nowotny, I contextualise his profile in respect to Rome’s cultural background during the years 1835–1875 and the Polish artistic colony on the Tiber; I also try to shed some light on the links between Nowotny, Norwid, the Odescalchi family, and several cultural and social activists (the circle of ultramontanists). From an ideological perspective, in Nowotny's work an important role was played by way he developed a narrative aimed at building the Slavic and Christian community. Other significant features examined in this paper are the reference to the canon of Nazarene art as well as the attempt to establish his own ideological and artistic canon.
