Page:Cracow - Lepszy.djvu/188

 ART FROM THE RENASCENCE Cracow art: first, he pointed to the study of nature as a fountain of youth, and, in fact, the fundamental condition of real artists' work; secondly, as regards technicalities, he first taught Cracow painters an imaginative and intelligent treatment of landscape. Accordingly, we notice in subsequent pictures by Cracow artists, not only imitation of his workmanship, but even repetition of his types, e.g., in the picture of St. John the Evangelist in St. Catherine's Church, or in an Assumption of Mary (in the Czartoryski Museum), which plainly repeat motives of Culmbach's from such pictures as the above-mentioned Death of St. Catherine.

Franconian influence is traceable in such works of Cracow painters as, e.g. the Madonna in St. Nicholas's Church of 1515-1520. Touches of local character sometimes appear in the shape of a Slavonic type of face, or a picturesque background of Cracow landscape; also in the national costume, which there is opportunity for exhibiting in scenes like the martyrdom of St. Stanislas.

Nuremberg influence is by no means the only one acting on Cracow painting; almost simultaneously with it, the Flemish school conies into prominence. To this there belong: a wall painting in the Carmelites' Church, and a picture signed with the monogram G., of date 1517, which, from the ancient church of St. Michael on the Wawel, has been transferred to the collections of Prince Czartoryski.

It is somewhat strange that in the great Renascence movement, inaugurated and guided in architecture and sculpture by Italian artists, painting should have fallen entirely within the sphere of German influence only. Miniature painting only shows Italian forms, the codices being partly of Italian origin, partly illuminated in Poland after Italian models. The reign of King Stephen Bathory is marked by a great rise of portrait and of battle painting. The Breslau portrait-painter, Martin Koebner or Kober, who was court painter to the king, made a portrait of the king in 1583 (now in the church of the Missionary Fathers); it is correct in design and vigorous in colours (illustration 81).