Polish painter and writer (1905–1987)
Marian Turwid-Kaczmarek, also known as Marian Turwid (28 September 1905 – 7 December 1987) was a Polish writer, painter and cultural activist in Bydgoszcz, and member of the National Committee of the National Unity Front () in 1958.
Biography.
Period under German Empire rule.
Marian Turwid was born on 28 November 1905 in Września, at the time located in the Province of Posen, Prussia. He was the son of Kazimierz Kaczmarek, a merchant and Julia, née Jakubowska. After graduating from Września primary school, he studied at the gymnasium and then at the "State Male Teachers Seminary" () in Gniezno: there he passed the "matura" exam in 1926.
Interwar period.
With his "matura", he became in 1926, a teacher at a public elementary school in Borzykowo in Września County. Between 1926 and 1929, Marian studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków at the Faculty of Painting and Sculpture. He learned under the guidance of a number of professors, including Władysław Jarocki, Teodor Axentowicz, Xawery Dunikowski and Fryderyk Pautsch. On December 3, 1929, he passed the drawing exam for teachers and completed his studies in October 1930.
From 1931 onwards, Marian Turwid was a drawing teacher at High School No. 6 in Bydgoszcz. In 1935, he obtained professional qualifications allowing him to teach drawing in Polish in general secondary schools or as a state/private teacher in training seminaries.
Meanwhile, he took an active part in the artistic life of Bydgoszcz and Greater Poland. He was the chairman of the "Pomeranian Artists' Union" and the secretary of the "Artistic and Cultural Council of Bydgoszcz" (1937–1939). From 1930, he was a member of the Association of Polish Artists and Designers (as will be in 1945, Bydgoszcz sculptor Piotr Triebler) and Polish Writers' Union.
As a writer and artist, Marian made his debut in the "Września Spokesman" ().
In 1926, his first book was published, "Legends of Września", and a year later, the first exhibition of his paintings was held in Września. From this moment on, Marian started using the nickname "Turwid". Later, he will change his name to "Turwid-Kaczmarek". Between 1931 and 1937, he has been the chief editor of the artistic and literary monthly "Wici Wielkopolskie".
In 1931, he published a book of drawings ("Portrait Sketches") and a portrait of General Józef Haller, which was his diploma work crowning his studies at the Kraków Academy of Fine Arts. In 1932, a volume of poetry was published, ("The Days of the Great Valley"). Some of his poems found their way up into national anthologies, such as ("Sea in Polish Poetry") in 1937 or ("120th Anthology") in 1939 and 1947. Turwid also wrote articles about culture and literature for several daily newspapers: , , , and . From time to time, he contributed to the Poznań cultural monthly ("Rainbow magazine") and the Kashubian ("Griffin"). He made various artistic trips to hone his painting skills: Paris (1936), Vienna, Berlin and Budapest. In 1936, Marian Turwid joined the , gathering local artists like graphic designer Stanisław Brzęczkowski, painter Władysław Frydrych and sculptor Teodor Gajewski.
The main topic of his works was aiming at the issue of tradition versus present day in the Wielkopolska-Pomeranian region. Many poems were devoted to Bydgoszcz and his symbols: The Archer, the old granaries, Mill Island, the Cathedral, the Bydgoszcz Venice (). These places and figures released in him the need for a personal tie with the city's architecture, its nature and its inhabitants. His identity reflects the 1930s local mood towards organizing an environmental culture in Bydgoszcz, open to national literary trends.
World War II period.
In the first days of the German occupation, Marian was arrested by the Gestapo, who confiscated his studio with all his artistic works. In autumn 1939, he moved to his hometown Września where he worked in his parents' company until 1942. From 1942 to 1945, he was employed by Paul Hantsche, who hired him as a painter.
Post-war period.
In March 1945, Marian Turwid returned to Bydgoszcz, where he was designated head of the Fine Arts Department at the Office of Culture and Art of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. He was the lead editor of the cultural supplement , ordering articles from writers and scientists from all over Poland. In 1946, he set up in Bydgoszcz the "State School of Fine Arts" (renamed in 1947 the "State Secondary School of Fine Arts") and was its first director until 1972, when he retired. The school still stands today at 2 Konarskiego street. At the same time, he became director of the "State Center for Art and Culture" in Bydgoszcz. On his initiative, the Pomeranian Arts House in Bydgoszcz was created, where a permanent art exhibition was established with contributions coming from Pomeranian members of the "Association of Polish Artists and Designers". From 1950 to 1972, he led the "Central Bureau of Artistic Exhibitions, Bydgoszcz Branch" (), together with the Toruń branch.
Influential cultural and artistic activist, Marian Turwid co-organized in 1945 the Bydgoszcz "Literary and Artistic Club", the Pomeranian branch of the "Association of Polish Artists and Designers" and the Pomeranian "Association of Polish Writers". He was a co-founder and chief editor of the journal , one of the first cultural magazines in Poland along with the Lublin-based . For many years (1961–1983), he was active in the ("Kuyavian-Pomeranian Cultural Society").
Between 1945 and 1975, Marian Turwid issued nearly 700 original books and works published in local and national magazines. Some of Turwid's poems were published in almanacs: ("Pomeranian Poets") in 1962 and in ("Poets and the Sea") in 1969 (Gdańsk edition). His works often revolved around the people and topics of the region in which he lived and worked. As a citizen of Bydgoszcz, councilor and democrat activist, he coped with themes related to the city:
His articles, prefaces to catalogs and materials, gathered in collective local publications portray his knowledge of the city, in particular its post-war specifics.
As far as his artistic side is concerned, Marian Turwid was rather prolific: out of his 189 works, 125 were displayed at exhibitions in Poland and abroad.
After a long period of disinterest towards politics, he joined the Labour Party in 1945, then the Democratic Party () in 1950: in 1955–1956, Turwid was the vice-president of the Presidium of the Provincial SD Committee in Bydgoszcz, and in 1963 he became the SD chairman of the "Provincial Advisory Group for Culture", member of the "SD Central Committee Advisory Group for Culture". From 1965 to 1973, he was a councilor of the Bydgoszcz Province and from 1954 to 1961, a member of the Municipal Council of Bydgoszcz. He was a long-time activist in the Front of National Unity and then a member of the Patriotic Movement for National Rebirth ().
In the late 1950s, Marian co-initiated and managed with Andrzej Szwalbe the "Bydgoszcz Scientific Society" (). He was also active in a multitude of cultural and scientific organizations and associations. His commitment to culture was assessed by his biographers as follows:
"He was probably a member of all commissions, teams and committees in Bydgoszcz, if they had any connection with cultural matters. [...] He was almost a cultural institution by himself [...]."
Marian Turwid died unexpectedly of a heart attack on 17 November 1987. He had a broadcast on the Polish Radio station of Bydgoszcz a few days prior. He was buried at the Nowofarny Cemetery in Bydgoszcz. He was sincerely mourned by Bydgoszcz artistic circles.
Family.
Marian Turwid married Zofia Nowicka from Bydgoszcz in 1936. She was the granddaughter of Władysław Piórek, a physician, social and national activist.
Zophia Turwid was a journalist, passionate about culture and art.
The couple had no children.
Works.
Marian Turwid's works are shown in different museum collections: Bydgoszcz, Grudziądz, Toruń, Regional Museum of Września, the Leo Tolstoy State Museum in Moscow, a museum in Reggio Emilia, as well as in the Polish Theater in Bydgoszcz and at the seat of the "Bydgoszcz Scientific Society" at 2 Jezuicka Street.
Paintings.
In the 1950s, Turwid's painting work was largely focused on Bydgoszcz landscape:
Awards and recognitions.
Since November 1990, his name has been given to "Bydgoszcz Primary School Nr.16" at 74 Koronowska street.
In the 1990s, a square in downtown Bydgoszcz has been named after Marian Turwid, located in Sielanka street, where he lived at Nr.8. One of the new trams in service in Bydgoszcz in 2017 received the name of "Marian Turwid".
A street in Września has been named after Marian Turwid.
References.
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