Vintage Polish Posters | Liberation | Wieslaw Strebejko

Stanisław Wyspiański (1869–1907) was a Polish playwright, painter and poet, as well as interior and furniture designer. A patriotic writer, he created a series of symbolic, national dramas within the artistic philosophy of the Young Poland Movement. He was a friend of Paul Gaugin. A wedding party he attended was the inspiration for his widely acclaimed play Wesele (The Wedding). It is a deeply critical yet sarcastic exposé of Polish society of the 19th century. “Wesele” transformed Wyspianski from a moderately successful visual and verbal artist associated with the Young Poland movement into a national dramatist-visionary whose significance in Poland is comparable to Yeats‘ in Ireland, O’Neill‘s in America, or Maeterlinck‘s in Belgium. The drama made references to the contemporary situation in Polonia and depicted a powerless society. Although censorship barred the sale of copies of Wesele (The Wedding), the play was staged in the theatre.