Norwid wobec sztuki włoskiej – inaczej

Abstract

The main purpose of the essay is to show the central aspects of Norwid’s approach to Italian art. Firstly, the poet’s opinions on the educational role of Italian art and its influence on the aesthetic sensibility of Poles are discussed. Secondly, the attention is paid to Norwid’s texts in which Italian myth receives a negative meaning and the Italianate fashion is presented from an ironic point of view, becoming also a source of linguistic humour. Moreover, the poet’s derision of italianity (considered a necessary feature of an artefact) is analysed. Last but not least, Norwid’s representations of typically Italian milieux are discussed in the context of contemporary travelogues and diaries in order to show how stereotypical may be observations made by the poet who is often considered the most original among the Polish 19th-century authors. In conclusion, Norwid’s interest in Italian art seems a consequence of an international trend.