Master and Apprentice – an image preserved

Abstract

Popularised in the nineteenth century, the plein-air is one of the most common forms of artistic encounters in an open space with the aim of capturing the beauty seen. Museum and private collections contain numerous drawings, paintings and graphic works that are the heritage of plein-air art. Nowadays, artists, painters and sculptors also meet in the open air to create. Therefore, the question can be asked: has it always been like this? On the basis of the source material, mostly from the collection of the Leon Wyczółkowski District Museum in Bydgoszcz, it can be shown that the plein-air is not only about artists’ wanderings, but also a time of conversations and reflections that build interpersonal relations. Selected sources concerning two eminent Polish artists – Master Leon Wyczółkowski and his Apprentice Józef Pieniążek – have been analysed. Archives, photographs, paintings, drawings and graphic works by both artists made it possible to demonstrate that the plein-air workshop was their joint journey in the spirit of friendship, respect and understanding: Master and Apprentice – one time – different views.