User:MarcelinaMajerczyk/The Maid of Orléans

The Virgin of Orleans, also known as Joan of Arc's Entry into Reims - a painting by Jan Matejko completed in 1886. Executed using oil on canvas, the artwork depicts a complex historical composition illustrating the entry of Joan of Arc (also known as the Virgin of Orleans), the national heroine of France during the Hundred Years' War, into Reims in 1429 after her victory over the English at Orleans on July 17th. Matejko portrays the event from the night of July 27th when Joan of Arc leads the royal procession amidst a cheering crowd towards the cathedral of Reims. The coronation of Charles VII as the King of France is to take place there subsequently.

This painting succinctly encapsulates the purpose of her life: the liberation of the homeland from English rule and the attainment of its independence. It is the largest canvas painted by Matejko, measuring 484 × 973 cm in size.

The painting remained in the possession of the artist until 1894. In 1897, it was purchased by the Raczyński family and added to the collection of the Gallery in Rogalin. In 1939, the painting was deposited by Edward Raczyński's son, Roger, at the Greater Poland Museum in Poznań. It is currently on display at the Rogalin Gallery, situated at the Raczyński Palace in Rogalin, and is part of the National Museum in Poznań.

Description of a painting
The scene unfolds at night, reflecting the historical accuracy of the depicted event. Joan of Arc, the main protagonist, is placed at the center of the painting, traditionally portrayed in armor and a cloak. She rides a horse, holding a banner under which she achieved victories over the English forces, and carries a sword, likely the one she found behind the altar of Saint Catherine in Fierbois (according to legend). Her gaze is directed upwards, where Saint Margaret, Archangel Michael, and Saint Catherine ascend, symbolically representing the religious source of her patriotic strength along with her later martyrdom. She was captured by the English and burned at the stake in 1431.

The celestial figures offer moral support to Joan; one presents her with a lily, while another prays for her endurance in this challenging moment that will soon follow. This is subtly depicted through small elements, such as the falling comet in the left upper part of the painting.

Furthermore, the painting includes a multi-person procession moving parallel to the picture plane, led by Arthur Richemont with a drawn sword and accompanied by Jean Dunois wearing the royal crown. Behind them, Joan rides, followed by the equestrian royal procession: the Archbishop of Reims (Guillaume Jouvenel des Ursins) and the royal couple under a canopy, the future King Charles VII and Maria d'Anjou. Behind them, fully armored, is Jean Poton de Xaintrailles, Agnieszka Sorel (the king's later favorite), and on a gray horse, the Duke of Angoulême.

In the foreground, a young boy holding a torch emerges, perceiving the significance of the event but not fully aware of what he sees. The entire crowd in the painting is preoccupied with "earthly" thoughts, unaware of the presence of the saints and not sensing their existence. The gathering that surrounds the main protagonist consists of various social classes, elements, and moral values. Joan, surrounded by a crowd with diverse facial expressions, is depicted in such a way that she cannot even move. The composition represents the entirety of the contemporary population and their attitudes toward her, along with supernatural phenomena symbolizing her future fate.

The painting serves as a historical narrative, portraying the people of that time and their reactions to Joan. Its main theme is religious, summarizing her life in a single scene as the source and consequence of actions not only by Joan but also by those around her.

The lighting of the painting is divided into two segments. From above, there is symbolically heavenly illumination, mainly directed and fully focused on Joan, including the faces of the monarchs to whom she dedicated her life. The second source of light is the glow from torches held by many participants in the crowd. This is meant to symbolize earthly radiance, signifying the corruption of people. During that time in France, there was a decline in morality and a looseness of customs, and the torchlight represents this aspect of earthly existence.

The lighting here serves a symbolic purpose, and it is multi-faceted. In addition to the division into earthly and heavenly light, it also occurs from left to right on the canvas. The left side is characterized by a colder, darker color palette, gradually transitioning to brighter tones towards the center, which is the brightest part. Its role is to capture the viewer's attention, serving as both the center of the painting and the focal point of the depicted events.

The work faced a degree of marginalization in Polish society as it does not depict a specific episode from Polish history, despite allegorically relating to the country's contemporary fate. Additionally, it was inundated with a massive wave of criticism from both French and Polish reviewers, including the first monogramist of Matejko, Stanisław Tarnowski, and Stanisław Witkiewicz. This set a certain tone for the subsequent perception of the painting, contributing to the work's inherently low popularity, even though Matejko himself was considered one of the most prominent artists.

The process of creating a painting
June 1883: Information from Matejko to Gorzkowski:[...] after completing the painting of Sobieski [Jan Sobieski at Vienna], he will begin to paint the picture of Joan of Arc as a complement to this higher inspiration that God gives to the chosen ones for the salvation of the country .

October 1883: [...] painting the sketch as the initial idea for the grand painting of Joan of Arc [...] December 1883: [...] preparatory projects for the painting of Joan of Arc, as it occupied him the most at that time; he studied the works of the earliest art to immerse himself in the spirit of the time and the concept of painting of those centuries .

January 1884: [...] the entire one side of the studio was so densely filled with this large canvas that looking at it, one could only imagine the immense work awaiting the artist [...] On January 26th [...] he arrived at the studio and sketched with charcoal on the canvas the figures that were to be in the Joan of Arc painting; the dimensions of the painting were 950 × 450 cm. [...] On February 15th, all the figures in the Joan of Arc painting were, as he usually did, covered with paint [...] and the whole thing was already thoroughly understood [...]

March 1884: ''By mid-March, all the figures in the large Joan of Arc painting were painted in such a way that at first glance, the painting seemed almost finished, and all of this, counting precisely, the artist accomplished within four weeks! Until now, artists perceived the figure of the Maid of Orleans strictly as a historical person; Matejko does not share this view. He sees this simple, rural, illiterate girl as a phenomenon inspired by God, as a messenger from heaven, as a sanctity accompanied by three heavenly figures. He sees them as moving, speaking persons, as beings living with her among the people on earth, and that's how Matejko understood them .''

June 1884: Gorzkowski brings in models to pose for the painting:


 * Helena (the artist's daughter - the head of Joan)
 * Helena Sanguszkówna (a lady in a dark dress at the bottom of the painting)
 * Łuszczkiewiczówna - the head of the saint at the top
 * Schongut - Agnieszka Sorel.
 * In addition: Count Wielopolski, Cichocki, Maria Bołoz-Antoniewiczówna + Gorzkowski's daughter and son.

November 1884: [...] intense painting of the picture [...] there was still a constant lack of live models .

March 1885: Patterns for painting the picture from the treasury at the royal castle – antiques, including the crown of King Casimir the Great.

February 1886: Despite a severe decline in the artist's health, work continued.

May 26, 1886: Final completion of the work on The Maid of Orleans; the premiere took place the next day at the Kraków Cloth Hall.

November 1886: Matejko drew explanatory sketches for the individuals depicted in the painting.

Preparations
Matejko, in order to deeply sense the spirit and acquire a comprehensive understanding of the time, undertook painstaking historical studies as a preparation for painting the picture. He conducted these studies at the Library of Prince Czartoryski, where he [...] traced old French battles and tournaments from ancient manuscripts, studied French miniatures, and examined their artistic style and character to immerse himself in the 14th-century era and view it through the eyes of a person from that time.

As Gorzkowski summarized, as a result, the painting is the embodiment of medieval poetry, elevating the valiant maiden to the realm of the contemporary concepts and ideals of that time.

However, despite being consistent with Matejko's distinctive style, certain contradictions appear: [...] on the right, there is Gothic, in the middle of the painting, there is Renaissance, yet this combination of different styles is nevertheless harmonious. This was a fully intentional design by the master, as he demonstrated a significant tendency toward a symbolic, sometimes seemingly irrational, "mixing" of periods, styles, symbols, and representations.

French criticism
In June 1887, Matejko expressed a desire to present the painting to France as a kind of offering to the French people for their repeated assistance and hospitality towards the Poles, including during times of Great Emigration. He personally wrote a statement outlining this intention, intending to publish it in the magazine "Czas," but for reasons not explained, this did not succeed. Eventually, the painting was exhibited in Paris and received unfavorably by the French. There were even mocking comments and opinions.

These are critiques from various sources regarding Matejko's painting, translated into English:

A. Wolff, Le Figaro, April 30, 1887: Never has this man of true talent been so poorly inspired .

G. Lafenestre, Revue des deux Mondes, June 1, 1887: Condemnation of Matejko's anachronism for introducing figures dressed in costumes from Antwerp and Augsburg. He added [Matejko], that [...] no one has the heart for these theatrical phantasmagorias, which represent the last flash of a dying art .

P. Lafage, Le Soir, May 26, 1887: We have a disgust for crowds [...]

Meurville, Gazette de France, May 11, 1887: Joan of Arc is simply [...] a young man who enters as a triumphant victor and smiles at ladies leaning over the balconies .

Marcello, Le Telegraphe, May 1, 1887: Matejko – who owes his Joan of Arc to the mediocre Rubens and the poor Makart [...]

Paul Mantz, Le Temps, May 15, 1887: he compares the painting to fabric in which red wool is mixed with yellow silk – condemning the painting as a whole, explaining its shortcomings, but praising its fragments: This painting, cut into small pieces, could make 20 museums happy!

Sketch for a painting
Painted in an expressive manner with oil on oak panel measuring 68 x 105 cm, signed in the center at the bottom: JM rp 1883, with a dedication on the reverse.

The dedication reads:

To Her Imperial and Royal Highness Archduchess | STEFANIA | ''Advocate and Guardian of the Grateful and Devoted to the Maid of Orleans. In | Memory of June 28, 1887 | Jan Matejko | in Krakow, offers in the deepest tribute .''

The painting was created as a gift from the artist to Archduchess Stefania, as indicated by the dedication. She was the wife of Archduke Rudolf of Habsburg, and the painting was presented to her during their visit to Matejko's studio in 1887. Subsequently, in 1933, it was purchased by the Polish Postal Savings Bank at H. Lion's antiquarian shop in Marienbad and later donated to the National Museum in Krakow, where it remains in the collection to this day. The sketch serves as a prototype for the original painting, but it exhibits certain differences. The composition is more condensed, resulting in a greater number of figures on the surface, introducing a kind of chaos. All key historical figures are present here, with the exception of Duca d'Angouleme, who was added to the final work. Nearly all participants in the event are depicted in different poses than what can be seen in the final version, and they also represent a different physiognomic type.

The sketch, treated spontaneously and summarily, clearly differs from the final piece with a more pronounced atmosphere of tumult, dynamic texture, and a warmer color palette. It is important to note that this sketch is only a concept, a directional guide for certain structural elements, representing creative exploration of structural solutions, inspiration; it serves as a stimulation of the creative process, leading to the final result.

Exhibitions
The provided information appears to be a list of exhibitions featuring Jan Matejko's artwork during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Here is a translation:


 * 1886 Kraków, National Museum, Cloth Hall
 * 1886 Berlin, Berlin Jubilee Art Exhibition
 * 1886 Poznań
 * 1886 Warsaw, Society for the Encouragement of Fine Arts
 * 1886 Warsaw, Gracjan Ungra Salon
 * 1887 Vienna, Austrian Art Association
 * 1887 Munich
 * 1887 Paris, Salon at the Palais des Champs-Elysées
 * 1887 Brussels
 * 1888 Munich, Jubilee Art Exhibition
 * 1890, 1891, 1892, 1893 Krakow, Society of Friends of Fine Arts
 * 1894 Lviv, Jan Matejko Pavilion at the Universal National Exhibition
 * 1901 Krakow, Society of Friends of Fine Arts