Polish Artists’ Responses to Russian Aggression

Romantic nationalism and the man of a thousand nightmares

With tensions continuing to rise between Poland and Russia in recent days following the continuing war in Ukraine, I wanted to look back into Polish history to find artists that defined what has long been a core value for the Slavic nations — dealing with their troublesome neighbour to the East.

This search led me to two artists whose work I already knew, but as is so often the case, had never fully understood. They are Jan…