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{{Short description|Painter, Poland, 19th–20th century}}
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{{more citations needed|date=March 2023}}


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{{Short description|Painter, Poland, 19th-20th century}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| name = Karol Mondral
| name = Karol Mondral
| image =
| image = Autoportrait 1914.jpg
| alt =
| alt = Karol Mondral, [[Self-portrait]], 1914
| caption =
| caption = Karol Mondral, [[Self-portrait]] 1914
| birth_name = Karol Mondral
| birth_name = Karol Mondral
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1880|01|26}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1880|01|26}}
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| nationality = [[Polish people|Polish]]
| nationality = [[Polish people|Polish]]
| other_names =
| other_names =
| occupation = [[Painting|Painter]]
| occupation = Painter
| years_active =
| years_active =
| known_for =
| known_for =
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}}
}}


'''Karol Mondral''' (1880-1957) was a Polish painter and graphic artist.
'''Karol Mondral''' (1880–1957) was a Polish painter and graphic artist.


==Biography==
==Biography==
===Youth===
Karol Mondral was born on Januray 25, 1880, in [[Warsaw]], to Jan Mondral and Maria née Paczuska.
Karol Mondral was born on January 25, 1880, in [[Warsaw]], to Jan Mondral and Maria née Paczuska. His father ran a small painting and decoration workshop in the district of [[Powiśle, Warsaw|Powiśle]].<ref name="BJ">{{cite book |last=Bazial |first=Jolanta |date=May 6, 2013 |title=Karol Mondral – życie i twórczość |trans-title=Karol Mondral – Life and work |url=https://akant.org/archiwum/52-archiwum-miesiecznik-literacki-akant-2013/akant-2013-nr-4/3197-jolanta-baziak-karol-mondral--ycie-i-tworczo |language=pl |location=Bydgoszcz |publisher=Akant }}</ref>


Between 1894 and 1900, he studied at the Warsaw Drawing School (now the [[Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw]]) with professors such as [[Wojciech Gerson]], [[Jan Kauzik]] or Adam Badowski.
Between 1894 and 1900, he studied at the Warsaw Drawing School (now the [[Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw]]) with professors such as [[Wojciech Gerson]], [[Jan Kauzik]] or Adam Badowski.<ref name="RPik">{{cite web |url=https://www.radiopik.pl/6,1225,grafiki-karola-mondrala-w-muzeum-okregowym-w-byd |title=Grafiki Karola Mondrala w Muzeum Okręgowym w Bydgoszczy |last=Dąbska |first=Ewa |date=April 18, 2013 |website=radiopik.pl |publisher=Radio PiK SA |access-date=February 19, 2023}}</ref>


In 1902 Karol went to [[Kraków]] to continue his studies at the [[Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts|Academy of Fine Arts]], in the class of [[Leon Wyczółkowski]].<ref name="KI">{{cite web |url=https://culture.pl/pl/tworca/karol-mondral |title=Karol Mondral |last=Kossowska |first=Irena |date=May 2004 |website=culture.pl |publisher=Instytut Adama Mickiewicza |access-date=February 19, 2023}}</ref> It was under Wyczółkowski's influence that Mondral turned his interest to [[Woodblock printing in Japan|Japanese woodcuts]].<ref name="GMM">{{cite book |last=Grąbczewska |first=Małgorzata Maria |date=April 2013 |title=Le regard tourné vers le Soleil-Levant? Les inspirations japonaises de Karol Mondral |trans-title=Looking towards the Rising Sun? The Japanese inspirations of Karol Mondral |url=https://www.academia.edu/3678019/Le_regard_tourn%C3%A9_vers_le_Soleil_Levant_Les_inspirations_japonaises_de_Karol_Mondral_version_bilingue_polonais_fran%C3%A7ais_ |language=fr |location=Gdańsk |publisher=academia.edu }}</ref>
In 1902, Karol went to [[Kraków]] to continue his studies at the [[Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts|Academy of Fine Arts]], in the class of [[Leon Wyczółkowski]].
Unfortunately, the death his father forced him to return to Warsaw, so as to take care of his mother and younger siblings. He took over the workshop, making portraits, designing posters, playbills, book covers, models for nearby [[Hempel Group|Hempel factory]], but was still dreaming of graphic design.<ref name="BJ"/>


In 1905 Mondral, an excellent violinist, met Romana Pogorzelska at concerts she used to organized, while working at a piano factory. They married on August 27, 1907.<ref name="BJ"/>
In 1909, he traveled to [[Paris]] in order to perfect his technique of [[etching]]. During this time he made many trips to [[France|France]] and [[Switzerland|Switzerland]], where he was looking for subjects for his works. At the same time, he created intensively, his works participated in exhibitions of Parisian salons. In Paris, Karol Mondral had two solo exhibitions, in 1919 at the Société Nationale and in 1921 at L'Association France-Pologne. In 1922, he returned to Poland and settled in [[Bydgoszcz]], where he became the head of the Graphic Department at [[Building of the Mechanical School Complex in Bydgoszcz|State School of Artistic Industry]], he was the organizer of a vocational school for printers-printers. In 1931, he moved with his family to [[Poznań|Poznań]], where he took the position of a professor at the Faculty of Graphic Arts at the [[University of Arts in Poznań|State School of Decorative Arts]]. Until the outbreak of [[World War II|World War II]], he headed the lithography and dry-engraving techniques studio. He belonged to [[Zwiazek Polskich Artystów Plastyki]] and [[Plastyka (artistic group)|artistic group Plastyka]], in 1923 and 1930 he had individual exhibitions in Warsaw, and in 1928 and 1947 in Poznań. During World War II he lived in Warsaw, in 1945 he returned to Poznań and became a lecturer of graphic sciences at the State [[University of Arts in Poznań|Higher School of Fine Arts]]<ref>[https://desa.pl/pl/artysci/karol -mondral/ Karol Mondral, Desa].</ref>, retired in 1950<ref name=slow>Ed. Antoni Gąsiorowski, Jerzy Topolski, Biographical Dictionary of Greater Poland, Warsaw-Poznań, National Scientific Publishing House, 1983, pp. 491–492, {{ISBN|83-01-02722-3}}.</ref>.


===Life in Paris===
Buried at [[Cmentarz w Pyry|Cmentarz w Pyry w Warszawie]].
Stefan Stasiak, a friend of the young couple, went to Paris to pursue oriental studies: he invited Romana and Karol to visit him. French composer Louis Fleury (1878–1926) and his rich wife offered the painter a loan of 50 [[Ruble#Russian Empire|rubles]] for the trip the couple made in 1909.<ref name="BJ"/>

In the French capital, Modral perfected his technique of [[etching]].<ref name="Desa">{{cite web |url=https://desa.pl/pl/artysci/karol-mondral/ |title=Karol Mondral |date=2022 |website=desa.pl |publisher=Desa Unicum |access-date=February 18, 2023}}</ref> Romana and Karol settled in Montparnasse, at "[[La Ruche (residence)|La Ruche]]".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://bydgoszcz24.pl/pl/14_kultura/6277_muzeum-okregowe-sladami-mondrala-podaza-do-paryza-.html |title=Muzeum Okręgowe śladami Mondrala podąża do Paryża |last=Chojnacka |first=Barbara |date=August 8, 2013 |website=bydgoszcz24.pl |publisher=bydgoszcz24 |access-date=February 19, 2023}}</ref>

He made also many trips around France and [[Switzerland]], while looking for subjects for his works.

A wealthy American businessman would come to Paris once a year, buying everything Mondral managed to create. Thanks to him, the artist could rent a second studio and open his own etching press.<ref name="KI"/>

Initially, the artist showed in his engravings picturesque corners of the French province ("[[Saint-Jean-de-Luz]]"-1912, "The Fish Merchant"-1912, "The guy from [[Concarneau]]-1915), working the landscape in [[James Abbott McNeill Whistler|Whistler]]'s way. He meticulously recreated the varied texture of stone facades in small-town streets, rendering the blurred architectural details of Paris fragmented buildings ("[[Cluny Abbey]]"-1912) or the decorative lattice of tree branches, like in [[Woodblock printing in Japan|Japanese woodcuts]] ("By the [[Seine]]"-1910).<ref name="KI"/>

This period was one of intense creativity, which allowed him to participate in salon exhibitions. Furthermore, his friend Konstanty Brandel was the owner of several Japanese [[Ukiyo-e|prints]] which were a constant source of inspiration for Mondral.<ref name="GMM"/>

During [[World War I]] the family lived mainly in Paris and traveled to [[Brittany]] and [[Lake Geneva]]. Romana, like other Polish women, actively supported Poles fighting in the Russian army on the [[Eastern Front (World War I)|Eastern Front]], as mentioned by Karol's daughter Camilla in her biography.<ref name="BJ"/>

In November 1918 Karol took part in an exhibition organized to the benefits of the invalids of the Polish Army in France, together with 38 other artists. In the early 1920s, [[Konstanty Brandel]] came from [[History of Poland (1918–1939)|newly independent Poland]] with a job offer at the "State School of Art Industry" in [[Bydgoszcz]].<ref name="BJ"/>

===Back to Poland ===
====Bydgoszcz====
On April 1, 1922, Mondral returned to Poland and settled in Bydgoszcz, working as the head of the Graphic Department at the [[Mechanical School No. 1, Bydgoszcz|National School of Arts and Crafts]]. The family lived at [[Świętej Trójcy Street, Bydgoszcz#Tenements at Nr.5,5A,7,9,11|11 Świętej Trójcy street]] and then in a [[villa]] at 3 [[Chopina Street, Bydgoszcz|Chopina street]].<ref name="BJ"/>

At the school, Karol set up a vocational school for printers.<ref name="KI"/> Furthermore, he accepted a commissioning of the City Council for making etchings of views of Bydgoszcz: hence he documented the municipal architecture with around 100 engravings.

====Poznań and Warsaw====
On March 1, 1931, the painter was hired as a professor at the Faculty of Graphic Arts of the [[Magdalena Abakanowicz University of the Arts Poznan|State School of Decorative Arts]] ({{langx|pl|Państwowa Szkoła Sztuk Zdobnicznych}}) in [[Poznań]]. Karol and his family only moved in September 1932, changing apartments several times.

He eventually chaired the school studio of [[lithography]] and dry-engraving techniques until the outbreak of [[World War II]].

The start of the conflict found Mondral in Warsaw, on his way from [[Kremenets|Krzemieniec]] to Poznań. In the Polish capital, he received a sentence from the Nazi authorities to move to a resettlement camp in Poznań, then to a transit camp near [[Lublin]].<ref name="BJ"/> Back anew in Warsaw, he left the city at the outbreak of the [[Warsaw uprising]] in 1944, ending in [[Tarnów]].

During the [[Occupation of Poland (1939–1945)|occupation]], the family's flat in Poznań was occupied by German soldiers: most of the furnishings and the works were looted (160 oil paintings, 200 plates of copper engravings, etchings, [[aquatint]]s, about 60 woodcuts, about 130 copies, sculptures and valuable works by other artists).<ref name="BJ"/>

In 1945 he returned to Poznań and became a lecturer of graphic sciences at the State Higher School of Fine Arts.<ref name="Desa"/>

He retired in 1950.<ref name=slow>{{cite book |last1=Gąsiorowski |first1=Antoni |last2=Topolski |first2=Jerzy |title=Wielkopolski słownik biograficzny |trans-title=Biographical Dictionary of Greater Poland |language=pl |location=Warsaw-Poznań |publisher=Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe |isbn=83-01-02722-3}}</ref> On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of artistic work, he received a touching gift - a graphic portfolio made by his students, dated June 28, 1952.

Karol Mondral passed away in Poznań on December 16, 1957. His remains rest together with his wife at the cemetery of [[Pyry, Warsaw]], where his daughter Camilla had them transferred in 1983.<ref name="BJ"/>

==Exhibitions==
[[File:Stamp 1979.jpg|thumb|Polish stamp from 1979]]
Karol Mondral took part in the "[[Henryk Grohman]] Graphic Competition":
* in 1911, he received the first prize in [[Zakopane]] with the etching "Shoemaker";
* in 1914, for the second edition, he was awarded the second prize with the etching "Zuzanna".<ref name="BJ"/>

In Paris the painter could exhibit in solo at two occasions: in 1919 at the "[[Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts]]" and in 1921 at the seat of "L'Association France-Pologne".<ref name="KI"/>

In Poland, he presented his works at:
* the "[[Society for the Encouragement of Fine Arts in Warsaw]]" (1903–39);
* the [[Society of Polish Artists "Sztuka"|Polish Art Society]] (1931);
* the "Instytut Propagandy Sztuki" (''Institute for the Propaganda of Art'') (1936).
[[File:Expo 2013.jpg|thumb|Poster of the 2013 Exhibition]]
Additionally, Mondral took part in many exhibitions in and around his country:<ref name="KI"/>
* [[Lviv]] (1913, 1916, 1926, 1928, 1930);
* Warsaw – individual exposition (1923, 1930);
* Poznań (1925, 1927, 1929, 1930, 1932, 1933) – individual exposition (1928, 1947);
* [[Bydgoszcz]] (1924, 1931, 1932, 1936);
* [[Zamość]] (1926), [[Łódź]] (1925), [[Toruń]] (1930), [[Kraków]] (1931) and [[Vilnius]] (1931).

In 1959 a posthumous exhibition was held in Poznań presenting a cross-section of Mondral's work, with 157 graphics from 1910 to
1938 and 14 [[oil painting]]s between 1913 and 1953.<ref name="KI"/>

In May 1979 [[Poczta Polska]] issued a stamp commemorating Karol Mondral, displaying one of his etchings, "Portret żony z naparstnicami" (''Portrait of a wife with [[digitalis]]''), supposedly inspired by his wife.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://colnect.com/pl/stamps/stamp/123362-Portrait_of_the_Wife_with_Foxgloves_by_Karol_Mondral-Modern_Polish_Graphic_Arts-Polska |title="Portrait of the Wife with Foxgloves", by Karol Mondral |date=2013 |website=colnect.com |publisher=shopGold |access-date=February 19, 2023}}</ref>

In the 21st century the following exhibitions have been set up in his memory:
* "Karol Mondral, 1880–1957", in Bydgoszcz (2012);
* In 2013, "Karol Mondral. Twórczość graficzna między Paryżem, Bydgoszczą a Poznaniem" (''Karol Mondral. Graphic arts between Paris, Bydgoszcz and Poznań''), displayed in Bydgoszcz,<ref name="RPik"/> Poznan and Paris (at the [[Polish Library in Paris|Bibliothèque Polonaise de Paris]]).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bibliotheque-polonaise-paris-shlp.fr/index.php?id_page=20763 |title=Exposition Karol MONDRAL (1880–1957), œuvre graphique entre Paris, Bydgoszcz et Poznań |date=2013 |website=bibliotheque-polonaise-paris-shlp.fr |publisher=Bibliothèque Polonaise de Paris |access-date=February 19, 2023}}</ref>


==Works==
==Works==
Mondral mainly used techniques on metal for creating etchings, [[aquatint]]s or [[drypoint]] and soft varnish. He less often used [[lithography]] and [[woodcut]] (though in Paris he dealt more frequently with color woodcuts).

He realized as well some paintings:<ref name="KI"/>
* Figural scenes influenced by [[Jacek Malczewski]] [[Symbolism (arts)|symbolist]] style;
* Portraits;
* [[Impressionism|Impressionist]] landscapes and [[still life]]s with flowers.
[[File:Katedra w Gnieźnie 1927 1931 Aquaforte.jpg|thumb|Cathedral in Gniezno, Aquaforte, 1931]]
Karol Mondral's prints decorated the tourist class cabins of the [[MS Piłsudski|ocean liner "Piłsudski"]], which interiors were adorned in 1934 by a team of 78 Polish artists.<ref name="KI"/>

Nowadays his works can be found in private collections and in many public places, among which:
* the "Stanisław Fischer Museum" in [[Bochnia]];
* Warsaw's [[University of Warsaw Library|University Library]] and [[National Museum, Warsaw|National Museum]];
* the [[National Museum, Poznań|National Museum in Poznań]];
* the [[Ossolineum|Ossoliński National Institute in Wrocław]];
* Toruń's [[Nicolaus Copernicus University Library|University Library]] and Provincial and Municipal Library;
* Bydgoszcz's "Witold Bełza Public Library" and [[Regional Museum, Bydgoszcz|Leon Wyczółkowski District Museum]].

===Non exhaustive list of Mondral's creations===
[[Etching]]s:
{{columns-list|colwidth=20em|
* "Portret młodej kobiety" (''Portrait of a young woman''), 1910
* "Bazylika w [[Lourdes]], 1912 and 1914
* "[[Saint-Étienne-du-Mont]]", 1912
* "Śniadanie" (''Portrait of his wife and his daughter''), 1912
* "Sosna" (''Pine''), 1912
* "Portret Stefana Stasiaka" (''Portrait of Stefan Stasiak''), 1912
* "Tragarz" (''A porter''), [[Provence]], 1912
* "Camilla przy piersi" (''Camilla at the breast''), 1912
* "Głowa dziecka" (''Portrait of his daughter''), 1912
* "Zaprzęg prowansalski" (''Provence group''), 1912
* "Portret mężczyzny" (''Portrait of a man ''), 1913
* "Powrót z połowu" (''Back from the catch''), [[Saint-Quay-Portrieux|Portrieux]], 1913
* "Wyjazd na letnisko" (''Departure to the summer resort''), 1913
* "Mężczyzna nad brzegiem morza" (''Man on the sea side''), ca. 1913
* "Dziewczynka w stroju bretońskim" (''Girl in Brittany costume''), 1914
* "Tryptyk z Portrieux" (''Portrieux triptych''), ca. 1914
* "[[Chęciny]]", 1914
* Scena w porcie (''Harbour scene ''), 1915
* "Ruiny" (''Ruins''), 1915
* "Brzeg Bałtyku w Karwi" (''The shore of the Baltic Sea in Karwia''), 1920s
* "Rodzina" (''Family''), 1920s
* "Most nad Sekwaną" (''Bridge over the Seine''), 1920
* "Portret Konstantego Brandla" (''Portrait of [[Konstanty Brandel]]''), 1921
* "Głowa wieśniaka" (''Peasant's head''), [[Brittany]], 1925
* "Na targu", (''At the market''), 1926
* "Katedra w Gnieźnie" (''Cathedral in [[Gniezno]]''), 1927–1931, made for the jubilee of the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Gniezno|Archdiocese of Gniezno]]
* "Kościółek w Siernieczku" (''Church in Siernieczek''), 1928
* "Portret rybaka" (''Portrait of a fisherman''), 1927–1931
* "Łan", 1930
* "W Puszczykowie" (''In [[Puszczykowo]]''), after 1945
}}

[[Woodcut]]s:
* "Pokłon pasterzy" (''Adoration of the shepherds''), 1917
* "Archanioł Michał" ({{langx|en|[[Michael (archangel)|Archangel Michael]]}}), 1919
* "Profil górala" (''Highlander profile'')

Paintings:
* "[[Wawel Castle|Wawel]]", 1903
* "Bajka" (''Fairytale''), 1909
* "Dziewczynka" (''Girl''), 1923
* "Wiejska Sielanka" (''Rural ideal''), 1945


==Membership==
==Membership==
Karol Mondral was a member of various artistic associations:<ref name="KI"/>
* ''Stowarzyszenie Polskich Artystów Grafików'' (''Association of Polish Graphic Artists'');
* ''Grupa Plastyków Wielkopolskich "Plastyka"'' (''Visual Artists Group of Greater Poland Voivodeship – "Plastyka"'');
* ''Związek Plastyków Pomorskich w Bydgoszczy'' (''Association of Graphic Artists in Bydgoszcz'');
* ''Towarzystwo Zachęty Sztuk Pięknych'' ([[Society for the Encouragement of Fine Arts in Warsaw]]).

==Family==
Karol Mondral married Romana Pogorzelska in 1907. They had a daughter, Camilla.

Camilla was born in Paris on June 30, 1911. She went to the "Bydgoszcz Catholic Humanities Gymnasium for girls" (Żeńskie Gimnazjum Humanistyczne), today's [[High School No. 6, Bydgoszcz]].<ref name="BJ"/>

In Poznań she studied at the Higher School of Commerce and at the Faculty of Diplomatic, Consular, Commerce and Economics of the university, from where she graduated respectively in 1931 and 1932.<ref name="kulturaparys">{{cite web |url=https://kulturaparyska.com/en/people/show/Camila%20Mondral/biography |title=CAMILLA MONDRAL. Biografia |last=|first= |date=2022 |website=kulturaparyska.com |publisher=Fundacja Kultury Paryskiej |access-date=February 26, 2023}}</ref>
She was an accomplished member of the Polish national team in [[Sport of athletics|athletics]] and [[fencing]].

Working as a clerk at the Ministry of Military Affairs, she transferred to [[Romania]] at the start of World War II, then moved to Hungary. There she joined the secret courier service but was arrested at the end of the conflict and sentenced to forced labor in [[Austria]].<ref name="sppw">{{cite web |url=http://sppwarszawa.pl/czlonkowie/camilla-mondral-2/ |title=Stowarzyszenie Pisarzy Polskich Oddział Warszawa. Camilla Mondral |date=2022 |website=sppwarszawa.pl |publisher=Stowarzyszenie Pisarzy Polskich |access-date=February 26, 2023}}</ref>

She came back to Warsaw in 1945 and worked in the Supply Organization Office at the Ministry of Industry. In 1948, she became the director of the State Trade Center. From 1950 to 1956, she had a position in the editorial office of Hungarian literature at the [[Czytelnik Publishing House]].<ref name="sppw"/> From 1959, she also collaborated with the "Jerzy Giedroyc Literary Institute" (today's "Kultura Literary Institute Association").
A writer and an outstanding translator of Hungarian literature,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://reportaz.polskieradio.pl/artykul/340578,Wegierski-romans |title="Węgierski romans" |date=2022 |website=reportaz.polskieradio.pl |publisher=polskieradio |access-date=February 26, 2023}}</ref> she became member of the Polish Writers' Union in 1953. In 1976, she was one of the signatories of "Memorial 101", an open letter of Polish intellectuals against the changes to the Constitution of the [[Polish People's Republic]]. In 1980, she was admitted to the [[PEN International|PEN Club]].<ref name="kulturaparys"/>

In 1948 she married Andrzej Pęksa, a skier and [[Tatra Mountains]] guide, but divorced him two years later. They had a son, Stefan-Kuba Pęksa.

Camilla Mondrat passed away in 2002 in Warsaw, she was buried at the Pyry cemetery of Warsaw.<ref name="kulturaparys"/>

==See also==
==See also==
{{portal bar|Biography|Poland}}
{{Commons category|Karol Mondral}}
{{Commons category|Karol Mondral}}
* [[Bydgoszcz]]
* [[Voivodeship and Municipal Public Library, Bydgoszcz]]
* {{inlang|pl}} [[:pl:Camilla Mondral|Camilla Mondral]]
* {{inlang|pl}} [[:pl:Stefan Stasiak|Stefan Stasiak]]
* {{inlang|pl}} [[:pl:Plastyka (grupa artystyczna)|Plastyka grupa artystyczna]]
* {{inlang|pl}} [[:pl:Memoriał 101|Memoriał 101]]


== References ==
== References ==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}


==Bibliography==
{{Bydgoszcz personages}}
* {{cite book |last=Woźniak |first=Michał |date=2013 |title=Karol Mondral |trans-title=Karol Mondral |language=pl |location=Bydgoszcz |publisher=Muzeum Okręgowe im. Leona Wyczółkowskiego }}
* {{cite book |last=Bazial |first=Jolanta |date=May 6, 2013 |title=Karol Mondral – życie i twórczość |trans-title=Karol Mondral - Life and work |url=https://akant.org/archiwum/52-archiwum-miesiecznik-literacki-akant-2013/akant-2013-nr-4/3197-jolanta-baziak-karol-mondral--ycie-i-tworczo |language=pl |location=Bydgoszcz |publisher=Akant }}
* {{cite book |last=Grąbczewska |first=Małgorzata Maria |date=April 2013 |title=Le regard tourné vers le Soleil-Levant? Les inspirations japonaises de Karol Mondral |trans-title=Looking towards the Rising Sun? The Japanese inspirations of Karol Mondral |url=https://www.academia.edu/3678019/Le_regard_tourn%C3%A9_vers_le_Soleil_Levant_Les_inspirations_japonaises_de_Karol_Mondral_version_bilingue_polonais_fran%C3%A7ais_ |language=fr |location=Gdańsk |publisher=academia.edu }}

==External links==
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzmuQ4RwNEA Documentary about Karol Mondral's life and works, Museum of Bydgoszcz-Graphics Department]

{{portal bar|Biography|Poland}}
{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Mondral, Karol}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mondral, Karol}}
[[Category:Polish printmakers]]
[[Category:Polish painters]]
[[Category:People from Warsaw]]
[[Category:Artists from Bydgoszcz]]
[[Category:Academic staff of the University of Fine Arts in Poznań]]
[[Category:Burials in Warsaw by place]]
[[Category:1880 births]]
[[Category:1880 births]]
[[Category:1957 deaths]]
[[Category:1957 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century Polish painters]]
[[Category:Painters from Warsaw]]

Latest revision as of 14:43, 10 November 2024

Karol Mondral
Karol Mondral, Self-portrait, 1914
Karol Mondral, Self-portrait 1914
Born
Karol Mondral

(1880-01-26)January 26, 1880
Warsaw,  Kingdom of Poland
DiedDecember 16, 1957(1957-12-16) (aged 77)
Poznań,  Poland
NationalityPolish
OccupationPainter

Karol Mondral (1880–1957) was a Polish painter and graphic artist.

Biography

[edit]

Youth

[edit]

Karol Mondral was born on January 25, 1880, in Warsaw, to Jan Mondral and Maria née Paczuska. His father ran a small painting and decoration workshop in the district of Powiśle.[1]

Between 1894 and 1900, he studied at the Warsaw Drawing School (now the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw) with professors such as Wojciech Gerson, Jan Kauzik or Adam Badowski.[2]

In 1902 Karol went to Kraków to continue his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts, in the class of Leon Wyczółkowski.[3] It was under Wyczółkowski's influence that Mondral turned his interest to Japanese woodcuts.[4] Unfortunately, the death his father forced him to return to Warsaw, so as to take care of his mother and younger siblings. He took over the workshop, making portraits, designing posters, playbills, book covers, models for nearby Hempel factory, but was still dreaming of graphic design.[1]

In 1905 Mondral, an excellent violinist, met Romana Pogorzelska at concerts she used to organized, while working at a piano factory. They married on August 27, 1907.[1]

Life in Paris

[edit]

Stefan Stasiak, a friend of the young couple, went to Paris to pursue oriental studies: he invited Romana and Karol to visit him. French composer Louis Fleury (1878–1926) and his rich wife offered the painter a loan of 50 rubles for the trip the couple made in 1909.[1]

In the French capital, Modral perfected his technique of etching.[5] Romana and Karol settled in Montparnasse, at "La Ruche".[6]

He made also many trips around France and Switzerland, while looking for subjects for his works.

A wealthy American businessman would come to Paris once a year, buying everything Mondral managed to create. Thanks to him, the artist could rent a second studio and open his own etching press.[3]

Initially, the artist showed in his engravings picturesque corners of the French province ("Saint-Jean-de-Luz"-1912, "The Fish Merchant"-1912, "The guy from Concarneau-1915), working the landscape in Whistler's way. He meticulously recreated the varied texture of stone facades in small-town streets, rendering the blurred architectural details of Paris fragmented buildings ("Cluny Abbey"-1912) or the decorative lattice of tree branches, like in Japanese woodcuts ("By the Seine"-1910).[3]

This period was one of intense creativity, which allowed him to participate in salon exhibitions. Furthermore, his friend Konstanty Brandel was the owner of several Japanese prints which were a constant source of inspiration for Mondral.[4]

During World War I the family lived mainly in Paris and traveled to Brittany and Lake Geneva. Romana, like other Polish women, actively supported Poles fighting in the Russian army on the Eastern Front, as mentioned by Karol's daughter Camilla in her biography.[1]

In November 1918 Karol took part in an exhibition organized to the benefits of the invalids of the Polish Army in France, together with 38 other artists. In the early 1920s, Konstanty Brandel came from newly independent Poland with a job offer at the "State School of Art Industry" in Bydgoszcz.[1]

Back to Poland

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Bydgoszcz

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On April 1, 1922, Mondral returned to Poland and settled in Bydgoszcz, working as the head of the Graphic Department at the National School of Arts and Crafts. The family lived at 11 Świętej Trójcy street and then in a villa at 3 Chopina street.[1]

At the school, Karol set up a vocational school for printers.[3] Furthermore, he accepted a commissioning of the City Council for making etchings of views of Bydgoszcz: hence he documented the municipal architecture with around 100 engravings.

Poznań and Warsaw

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On March 1, 1931, the painter was hired as a professor at the Faculty of Graphic Arts of the State School of Decorative Arts (Polish: Państwowa Szkoła Sztuk Zdobnicznych) in Poznań. Karol and his family only moved in September 1932, changing apartments several times.

He eventually chaired the school studio of lithography and dry-engraving techniques until the outbreak of World War II.

The start of the conflict found Mondral in Warsaw, on his way from Krzemieniec to Poznań. In the Polish capital, he received a sentence from the Nazi authorities to move to a resettlement camp in Poznań, then to a transit camp near Lublin.[1] Back anew in Warsaw, he left the city at the outbreak of the Warsaw uprising in 1944, ending in Tarnów.

During the occupation, the family's flat in Poznań was occupied by German soldiers: most of the furnishings and the works were looted (160 oil paintings, 200 plates of copper engravings, etchings, aquatints, about 60 woodcuts, about 130 copies, sculptures and valuable works by other artists).[1]

In 1945 he returned to Poznań and became a lecturer of graphic sciences at the State Higher School of Fine Arts.[5]

He retired in 1950.[7] On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of artistic work, he received a touching gift - a graphic portfolio made by his students, dated June 28, 1952.

Karol Mondral passed away in Poznań on December 16, 1957. His remains rest together with his wife at the cemetery of Pyry, Warsaw, where his daughter Camilla had them transferred in 1983.[1]

Exhibitions

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Polish stamp from 1979

Karol Mondral took part in the "Henryk Grohman Graphic Competition":

  • in 1911, he received the first prize in Zakopane with the etching "Shoemaker";
  • in 1914, for the second edition, he was awarded the second prize with the etching "Zuzanna".[1]

In Paris the painter could exhibit in solo at two occasions: in 1919 at the "Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts" and in 1921 at the seat of "L'Association France-Pologne".[3]

In Poland, he presented his works at:

Poster of the 2013 Exhibition

Additionally, Mondral took part in many exhibitions in and around his country:[3]

  • Lviv (1913, 1916, 1926, 1928, 1930);
  • Warsaw – individual exposition (1923, 1930);
  • Poznań (1925, 1927, 1929, 1930, 1932, 1933) – individual exposition (1928, 1947);
  • Bydgoszcz (1924, 1931, 1932, 1936);
  • Zamość (1926), Łódź (1925), Toruń (1930), Kraków (1931) and Vilnius (1931).

In 1959 a posthumous exhibition was held in Poznań presenting a cross-section of Mondral's work, with 157 graphics from 1910 to 1938 and 14 oil paintings between 1913 and 1953.[3]

In May 1979 Poczta Polska issued a stamp commemorating Karol Mondral, displaying one of his etchings, "Portret żony z naparstnicami" (Portrait of a wife with digitalis), supposedly inspired by his wife.[8]

In the 21st century the following exhibitions have been set up in his memory:

  • "Karol Mondral, 1880–1957", in Bydgoszcz (2012);
  • In 2013, "Karol Mondral. Twórczość graficzna między Paryżem, Bydgoszczą a Poznaniem" (Karol Mondral. Graphic arts between Paris, Bydgoszcz and Poznań), displayed in Bydgoszcz,[2] Poznan and Paris (at the Bibliothèque Polonaise de Paris).[9]

Works

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Mondral mainly used techniques on metal for creating etchings, aquatints or drypoint and soft varnish. He less often used lithography and woodcut (though in Paris he dealt more frequently with color woodcuts).

He realized as well some paintings:[3]

Cathedral in Gniezno, Aquaforte, 1931

Karol Mondral's prints decorated the tourist class cabins of the ocean liner "Piłsudski", which interiors were adorned in 1934 by a team of 78 Polish artists.[3]

Nowadays his works can be found in private collections and in many public places, among which:

Non exhaustive list of Mondral's creations

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Etchings:

  • "Portret młodej kobiety" (Portrait of a young woman), 1910
  • "Bazylika w Lourdes, 1912 and 1914
  • "Saint-Étienne-du-Mont", 1912
  • "Śniadanie" (Portrait of his wife and his daughter), 1912
  • "Sosna" (Pine), 1912
  • "Portret Stefana Stasiaka" (Portrait of Stefan Stasiak), 1912
  • "Tragarz" (A porter), Provence, 1912
  • "Camilla przy piersi" (Camilla at the breast), 1912
  • "Głowa dziecka" (Portrait of his daughter), 1912
  • "Zaprzęg prowansalski" (Provence group), 1912
  • "Portret mężczyzny" (Portrait of a man ), 1913
  • "Powrót z połowu" (Back from the catch), Portrieux, 1913
  • "Wyjazd na letnisko" (Departure to the summer resort), 1913
  • "Mężczyzna nad brzegiem morza" (Man on the sea side), ca. 1913
  • "Dziewczynka w stroju bretońskim" (Girl in Brittany costume), 1914
  • "Tryptyk z Portrieux" (Portrieux triptych), ca. 1914
  • "Chęciny", 1914
  • Scena w porcie (Harbour scene ), 1915
  • "Ruiny" (Ruins), 1915
  • "Brzeg Bałtyku w Karwi" (The shore of the Baltic Sea in Karwia), 1920s
  • "Rodzina" (Family), 1920s
  • "Most nad Sekwaną" (Bridge over the Seine), 1920
  • "Portret Konstantego Brandla" (Portrait of Konstanty Brandel), 1921
  • "Głowa wieśniaka" (Peasant's head), Brittany, 1925
  • "Na targu", (At the market), 1926
  • "Katedra w Gnieźnie" (Cathedral in Gniezno), 1927–1931, made for the jubilee of the Archdiocese of Gniezno
  • "Kościółek w Siernieczku" (Church in Siernieczek), 1928
  • "Portret rybaka" (Portrait of a fisherman), 1927–1931
  • "Łan", 1930
  • "W Puszczykowie" (In Puszczykowo), after 1945

Woodcuts:

  • "Pokłon pasterzy" (Adoration of the shepherds), 1917
  • "Archanioł Michał" (English: Archangel Michael), 1919
  • "Profil górala" (Highlander profile)

Paintings:

  • "Wawel", 1903
  • "Bajka" (Fairytale), 1909
  • "Dziewczynka" (Girl), 1923
  • "Wiejska Sielanka" (Rural ideal), 1945

Membership

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Karol Mondral was a member of various artistic associations:[3]

  • Stowarzyszenie Polskich Artystów Grafików (Association of Polish Graphic Artists);
  • Grupa Plastyków Wielkopolskich "Plastyka" (Visual Artists Group of Greater Poland Voivodeship – "Plastyka");
  • Związek Plastyków Pomorskich w Bydgoszczy (Association of Graphic Artists in Bydgoszcz);
  • Towarzystwo Zachęty Sztuk Pięknych (Society for the Encouragement of Fine Arts in Warsaw).

Family

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Karol Mondral married Romana Pogorzelska in 1907. They had a daughter, Camilla.

Camilla was born in Paris on June 30, 1911. She went to the "Bydgoszcz Catholic Humanities Gymnasium for girls" (Żeńskie Gimnazjum Humanistyczne), today's High School No. 6, Bydgoszcz.[1]

In Poznań she studied at the Higher School of Commerce and at the Faculty of Diplomatic, Consular, Commerce and Economics of the university, from where she graduated respectively in 1931 and 1932.[10] She was an accomplished member of the Polish national team in athletics and fencing.

Working as a clerk at the Ministry of Military Affairs, she transferred to Romania at the start of World War II, then moved to Hungary. There she joined the secret courier service but was arrested at the end of the conflict and sentenced to forced labor in Austria.[11]

She came back to Warsaw in 1945 and worked in the Supply Organization Office at the Ministry of Industry. In 1948, she became the director of the State Trade Center. From 1950 to 1956, she had a position in the editorial office of Hungarian literature at the Czytelnik Publishing House.[11] From 1959, she also collaborated with the "Jerzy Giedroyc Literary Institute" (today's "Kultura Literary Institute Association"). A writer and an outstanding translator of Hungarian literature,[12] she became member of the Polish Writers' Union in 1953. In 1976, she was one of the signatories of "Memorial 101", an open letter of Polish intellectuals against the changes to the Constitution of the Polish People's Republic. In 1980, she was admitted to the PEN Club.[10]

In 1948 she married Andrzej Pęksa, a skier and Tatra Mountains guide, but divorced him two years later. They had a son, Stefan-Kuba Pęksa.

Camilla Mondrat passed away in 2002 in Warsaw, she was buried at the Pyry cemetery of Warsaw.[10]

See also

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Karol Mondral.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Bazial, Jolanta (May 6, 2013). Karol Mondral – życie i twórczość [Karol Mondral – Life and work] (in Polish). Bydgoszcz: Akant.
  2. ^ a b Dąbska, Ewa (April 18, 2013). "Grafiki Karola Mondrala w Muzeum Okręgowym w Bydgoszczy". radiopik.pl. Radio PiK SA. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Kossowska, Irena (May 2004). "Karol Mondral". culture.pl. Instytut Adama Mickiewicza. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Grąbczewska, Małgorzata Maria (April 2013). Le regard tourné vers le Soleil-Levant? Les inspirations japonaises de Karol Mondral [Looking towards the Rising Sun? The Japanese inspirations of Karol Mondral] (in French). Gdańsk: academia.edu.
  5. ^ a b "Karol Mondral". desa.pl. Desa Unicum. 2022. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  6. ^ Chojnacka, Barbara (August 8, 2013). "Muzeum Okręgowe śladami Mondrala podąża do Paryża". bydgoszcz24.pl. bydgoszcz24. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  7. ^ Gąsiorowski, Antoni; Topolski, Jerzy. Wielkopolski słownik biograficzny [Biographical Dictionary of Greater Poland] (in Polish). Warsaw-Poznań: Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe. ISBN 83-01-02722-3.
  8. ^ ""Portrait of the Wife with Foxgloves", by Karol Mondral". colnect.com. shopGold. 2013. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  9. ^ "Exposition Karol MONDRAL (1880–1957), œuvre graphique entre Paris, Bydgoszcz et Poznań". bibliotheque-polonaise-paris-shlp.fr. Bibliothèque Polonaise de Paris. 2013. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  10. ^ a b c "CAMILLA MONDRAL. Biografia". kulturaparyska.com. Fundacja Kultury Paryskiej. 2022. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  11. ^ a b "Stowarzyszenie Pisarzy Polskich Oddział Warszawa. Camilla Mondral". sppwarszawa.pl. Stowarzyszenie Pisarzy Polskich. 2022. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  12. ^ ""Węgierski romans"". reportaz.polskieradio.pl. polskieradio. 2022. Retrieved February 26, 2023.

Bibliography

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