Focus on this artwork and explore the Significance.
The painting has been called a masterpiece depiction of a battle scene, and much more than a simple depiction of a bloody battle. It is a complex picture, requiring more than a cursory look; a French critic, viewing it in Paris in 1879, declared that it was a museum in its own right, requiring eight days of study before one could properly appreciate it. At the same time, critics have pointed to the unrealistic depiction of the battle, and some anachronistic accessories present in the painting. Others have criticized the painting for being too crowded and chaotic.The painting can be seen as Matejko's warning to Otto von Bismarck, whose Germanization policies (Kulturkampf) targeted Polish culture, reminding him of the Polish victory over the Teutons. Overall, the painting was intended to raise the spirits of the Polish people during the period when Poland had been partitioned and no longer existed as an independent state.The painting, one of Matejko's most recognizable works and one of the best known paintings in Poland, likely has contributed to the popular image of the battle of Grunwald, and its enduring fame in Polish consciousness. The painting inspired Stanisław Wyspiański, who mentioned it in several of his works.
Germanization Poland right Polish culture Stanisław Wyspiański Kulturkampf partitioned Otto von Bismarck