Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw

Here we offer an interdisciplinary study and a detailed description of a pre-Linnaean herbarium located in the Museum of Natural History in Wrocław Herbarium, Poland. Our study reveals that it is the herbarium of Paolo Boccone (1633-1704), a prominent Italian botanist and the only Boccone collection in Poland. It is also the oldest herbarium among all Polish collections. We trace the volume’s history, assess its condition as a natural history artefact, and as a scientific object of potential taxonomic, nomenclatural, biogeographical and economic importance in addition to assessing its historical importance. It contains 313 specimens, mostly plants and algae, mounted on 142 numbered sheets, collected mainly from the western Mediterranean. The dating of the collection was determined by a combination of historical data and the contents of the volume itself, including the dates on the specimen labels and the years of publication of the botanical sources cited on them. The specimens were not arranged in any systematic order. As with other collections during this period, Boccone’s motivation for compiling this collection stemmed from his personal interest in rarities, which led him to collect some exotic plants from various gardens. We also note that Boccone’s biography is important for dating and interpreting the contents of the herbarium. His errors in identifying certain medicinal species show that the success of historical medicines may have depended on taxonomic expertise. Finally, we also show that certain plants were grown in European gardens before they were considered medicinal.

Abstract In 2020, the new owners of a house located on a farm in Huta Zaborowska (Mazowieckie Province, Poland) noticed drawings and inscriptions in a wooden wardrobe they found in a storage room. The markings indicated that it may have been a wartime hiding place, most likely for a Jewish child or teenager. In 2022, the wardrobe was presented to the public for the first time as part of the exhibition Hideouts: The Architecture of Survival (Zachęta, Poland). This article presents the authors’ joint research on this object. Additionally they try to explain how this object embodies “awkwardness” and how art history, historical research, and background might be helpful in deciphering the drawings in the wardrobe. Furthermore, the authors show the potential of art history-related research and the uses of an interdisciplinary toolbox when dealing with such objects.

Recent research has revealed the significant role of perceived cultural differences, or cultural novelty, in shaping the intercultural experiences of diverse individuals. Yet, our understanding of how cultural novelty influences the relationship between language and cultural adjustment remains limited. This study addresses this gap by examining the moderating effect of cultural novelty on the relationship between foreign-language proficiency and cultural adjustment. Survey data from 1,092 international students in five countries were analyzed using mediation and moderated mediation analyses. The moderating effect of cultural novelty was confirmed, specifically in the host-language context, where higher cultural novelty significantly weakened the relationship between host-language proficiency and socializing with domestic students. Moreover, this research illuminates the influence of the lingocultural context on cultural adjustment. This study has important implications for higher education institutions. It demonstrates how cultural novelty can impact the ability of foreign-language proficiency to enhance student adjustment and the overall educational experience.

Amateur drawings by Adam Kazimierz, Izabela née Fleming and Adam Jerzy Czartoryski played functions assigned to this type of work in the main centers of European amateurism – France and Great Britain. The invitation of J.P. Norblin to Poland, in 1774, as a teacher of drawing for the children of Adam Kazimierz and Izabela showed their belief in modern educational ideas, that were also present in the Cadet Corps program. Drawing, a useful skill, became an element of the education of a responsible citizen. Adam Jerzy Czartoryski learned to draw not only under the guidance of Norblin, but also during his educational tour in Paris. When he left for Great Britain in 1789, his father advised him to collect visual notes for later use in Poland. Another function of amateur work appeared in the drawings of Izabela Czartoryska, for whom they were sign of her status of an aristocrat related with the ruling families.

A presentation of the artistic research based project “Conceptual Future Tense” that explores the temporal and spatial dimensions of the area surrounding Poland’s planned Central Communication Port (CPK). Using speculative and critical frameworks, the project investigates the Mazovian landscape on the eve of a massive investment. It examines realized and imagined histories, ecological memory, and infrastructural ruins to question the contingent, contested, and ever-shifting nature of large-scale development projects.

Abstract Ancient geographers and travellers of the early nineteenth and twentieth centuries described localities on the northern coast of Egypt, including the Hellenistic-Roman town ruins known today as Darazya. Impressive Second World War structures are also scattered there. Research initiated in 2021 will broaden insights into the history of the region.

Artykuł stanowi pokonferencyjne opracowanie wybranych prac artystycznych w kontekście historii południowo-wschodniego pogranicza Polski oraz teorii będących punktem odniesienia dla omawianych prac. Obrana metoda autohistorii jest sposobem opisu zaproponowanym przez amerykańską badaczkę meksykańskiego pochodzenia Glorię E. Anzaldúę. Polega na opisie rzeczywistości uwzględniającym perspektywę jednostki, ale prezentującym szerszy kontekst społeczno-polityczny. Tekst napisany jest z perspektywy pochodzącej z Podkarpacia artystki wizualnej.

Recently art conservators tend to wonder which of the possible intervention paths to undertake while planning a conservation project and how deep their interference with the original substance should be. Limiting intervention to ceasing the ongoing degradation process and securing the object for the future without restoring any missing parts of the composition is just one of the many available approaches. Making a brand new copy of the painting where all the missing parts could be fully reconstructed and exposing it along with the original is a good alternative to traditional restoration practice. This method has been used by Danuta Stępień during conservation of a Russian icon entitled “Our Lady of Iver” (Moscow, 1908–1917, egg tempera on a wooden panel partially covered by a silver oklad, 10.8 × 13.2 × 0.8 cm). The silver oklad was executed by the workshop of Smirnow. Technology and materials have been identified via different analytical techniques: VIS, UV, IR and X-ray photography, microscopic photography, SEM–EDS analysis and FTIR. Specific medical radiological instruments have also been used as non-invasive analytical tools. The following materials have been identified: yellow ochre, cinnabar, cadmium red, red iron oxides, silver, gold and copper. The oklad is made of an Ag-rich silver–copper alloy. Its whole surfaces are richly engraved with traces of gold detected inside the engravings. Based on this fact, an assumption has been made that originally the upper part of the oklad might have been entirely covered with a layer of gold. The information gathered during research allowed to execute a fine copy of the icon using similar materials and techniques. An alternative to classic restoration approach is to create a faithful but fully reconstructed copy that could be exposed along with the original painting. This solution not only assures maximum respect for the original substance but also allows the recipients to better understand its history and technique.

The article is the first study of Przemysław Kwiek's work from the period of postcommunist transformation. Based on a method of symptomatic reading of ideology (Slavoj Žižek), the author analyzes Kwiek's work as a repressed symptom of the transformation, a blind spot of its ideology. To do so, he uses two metaphors: kynicism and cynicism (Peter Sloterdijk), treating Kwiek as an exponent of a kynical attitude. The main thesis of the article is as follows: Kwiek's work is not a part of the canon of the Polish art of the 1990s because, as radically critical of the neoliberal shock therapy, it could not fit into the ideological framework of the epoch. Significantly, this was also true of art history, dominated by gender or identity issues typical for the transformation. The article proposes to look at Kwiek's attitude as a potentiality to complement these themes with a critique of the economic (including class) basics of transformation. The article extensively examines Kwiek's work, placing it within such a critical project.

Celem tekstu jest przedstawienie wzajemnego wpływu kulturowego (tożsamościowego) pomiędzy daną animowaną produkcją a regionem, którego przestrzeń była inspiracją w kreowaniu jej świata przedstawionego. Badania oparto o analizę trzech wybranych studiów przypadku – amerykańskiego filmu animowanego, japońskiego anime i ukraińskiej serii gier wideo. W każdym z tych przypadków relacje między dziełem a regionem wpływały na inny aspekt tożsamości regionalnej i miały inną skalę. Autorzy wskazali przyczyny i skutki oparcia fikcyjnego świata animacji o konkretny region, identyfikując wzajemny wpływ kulturowy między nimi, wspólne korzyści i ewentualne zagrożenia. Umiejscowienie akcji filmu Piękna i Bestia w świecie inspirowanym alzackimi miejscowościami wzbogaciło tożsamość regionu o elementy baśniowe. Po emisji Girls und Panzer w Ōarai zbudowano nową tożsamość opartą o anime. Z kolei uniwersum S.T.A.L.K.E.R. wpłynęło na uregulowanie kwestii legalności turystyki w okolicach Czarnobyla. Wykorzystanie wizerunków wskazanych miast i regionów w zaprezentowanych animacjach przyczyniło się do rozwoju w nich set jettingu.