Krakowska powojenna ceramika architektoniczna – historia i próba klasyfikacji

Abstrakt

CRACOVIAN POST-WAR ARCHITECTURAL CERAMICS – HISTORY AND AN ATTEMPT AT CLASSIFICATION

In the second half of the 20th century ceramics became one of the most often used materials for decorating architecture in Poland. Kazimierz Piętka (died 1951) worked in Krakow; one of the post-war initiators of introducing ceramics to architecture. Single productions were made already in the 50s, but the climax of popularity was reached by ceramics in Krakow in the 60s of the 20th century. Three kinds of architectural ceramics dominated, which differed in the technique of execution and gave different visual effects. “Piropiktura” – the invention of Helena and Roman Husarscy, which was the first one to decorate buildings, had pictorial and drawing value. Mosaic, used to create colourful, slightly geometrical compositions, was employed primarily to decorate representative and prestige buildings, and in church architecture. Stoneware board siding produced in the “Kamionka” co-op in Łysa Góra, frequent in buildings connected with leisure and entertainment, affected both with the intensity and luminosity of colours, and with the outstanding sculptural possibilities of surface management, giving spatial and chiaroscuro effects. Numerous Cracovian artists were creators of architectural ceramics, both those that usually worked with ceramics, and graphic artists, painters, sculptors and interior designers. The greatest number of productions was carried out by Ewa Żygulska, Krystyna Zgud-Strachocka, Antoni Hajdecki, Antoni Haska and Witold Skulicz. Ceramics is characterised by excellent decorative value and high durability to weather conditions. These assets were the main reason for the uncommonly wide use of ceramics techniques for decorating architecture. Unfortunately in recent years the ceramics architectural decorations have been considered unfashionable and are more and more often removed. Also in Krakow many interesting productions have been destroyed; it seems, however, that the decorations which we can still see on numerous facades and in the interiors of Cracovian buildings, are worth not only interest, but also protection.