The article contains the minutes of the jury for the design of the monument to Juliusz Słowacki in Lviv, together with reproductions of the designs, published in the journal "Sztuki Piękne", 1926/1927, pp. 187-191 (public domain, reprinted from the Library of the University of Silesia, Katowice).

A modernised reading of the text

Competition for the monument to J. Slowacki in Lviv. Minutes of the Competition Jury.

The first meeting was held on 19 December 1926 at 11 a.m., the second on 20 December 1926 in the hall of the Museum of Artistic Industry. Present: Vice-president Chlamtacz Marceli, as delegate of the Presidium of the city of Lviv, Prof. Laszczka Konstanty, as delegate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow, Prof. Józef Czajkowski, as delegate of the School of Fine Arts in Warsaw, Tymoteusz Sawicki, as delegate of the Ministry of the Interior and Administration of Lviv. Art, Eugeniusz Czerwiński and Henryk Zaremba, as delegates of the Lviv Association of Artists, as delegates of the Committee for the Construction of the Monument: Dr. Hahn Wiktor, Dr. Hartleb Kazimierz and Prof. Tarnawski Władysław. Prof. W. Minkiewicz was replaced by Prof. Höflinger Tadeusz, vice-president of the Competition Committee.

The Committee meeting was opened by the Chairman of the Committee, Prof. Hahn. The Committee meeting was opened by the Chairman of the Committee, Prof. Hahn, who outlined the history of the construction of the monument and thanked the delegates who had arrived. The Committee then constituted itself, electing Prof. W. Hahn as Chairman and Mr Hartleb as Secretary. In turn, the rules of procedure of the Competition Jury were adopted.

The discussion considered the interpretation of para. 9 of the Competition Terms and Conditions, which was unanimously interpreted to mean that three prizes must absolutely be awarded and paid out from the projects submitted.

In turn, the competition proceedings themselves were proceeded with, in order to pass their judgement. A total of 24 entries were submitted for the competition, and in particular the opAward III (PLN 1003). It has the advantages of a compact composition.
In addition, of the other two entries, the project marked with the emblem: You and I, shows a lack of binding of the whole into a unified plastic mass. The project under the emblem: The Bard, with a certain rhythm to the whole, the banality of the figure.

After opening the envelopes, it turned out that the author of the design under the Zórawie emblem is Mr Szczepkowski Jan from Warsaw, the Res design by pp. Starzyński Jozef and Różycki Jozef, both from Lviv, the design by Mr. Goliński Jan from Warsaw.

Finally, the delegate of the Minister of the Interior and Administration, Mr Sawicki, proposes that the minutes of the Competition Jury be delivered to all the participants of the Jury, and furthermore announces that the design for the monument itself must be submitted to the Minister of the Interior and Administration for approval.

At this the chairman closed the meeting.

In Lviv, on 20 December 1926, Dr Wiktor Hahn, M.P., chairman, Dr Kazimierz Hartleb, M.P., secretary, Konstanty Laszczka, M.P., Jozef Czajkowski, M.P., Tymoteusz Sawicki, M.P., Wladyslaw Tarnawski, M.P., Henryk Zaremba, M.P., Dr Marceli Chlamtacz, M.P., Tadeusz Höflinger, M.P., Eugeniusz Czerwiński, M.P., chairman, and Dr K. K. K., chairman.

The competition for the monument to Juliusz Słowacki in Lviv was disappointing all round. The exhibition of submitted projects in the hall of the Industrial Museum makes a depressing impression. If one were to judge the state of contemporary Polish sculpture on this basis, one would have to conclude that it is in the deepest decline and disorientation. When it became clear that the traditions of Baroque sculpture could no longer be lived in, sculptors completely lacked invention. There is a striking disappearance of the sense of monumentality, without which no monument can be created. In all these ideas one can see a tragically unsuccessful search for a new form and new expression. Rodin, Bourdelle, impressionism in the style of Chopin's monument chiseled by Szymanowski, Greek archaism, cubism, a bizarre ultranaturalism that makes a kind of unpleasant St Vitus dance out of Słowacki's inspiration - these are a series of visions of a truly Dantesque circle.

Of all these works, Jan Szczepkowski's design, rightly awarded the first prize, stands out. This design has the merit of having a good, solid plinth in the shape of a low triangular pillar, with a successfully stylised frieze of cranes at the top.

Unfortunately, the statue of Slowacki leaves much to be desired and would have to be fundamentally reworked if this project was to be carried out. Moreover, its weak point is that it is designed strictly for a frontal view; it cannot stand on an open square, as it simply gives a dead wall at the back and on the sides.

The next two prize-winning designs are incomparably lower. The project by Messrs. Józef Różycki and Józef Starzyński (2nd prize) is touchingly sentimental and polite. On a thin, smooth, four-legged pillar, a cuddly Słowacki kneels down on one knee with wings growing out of his shoulders. Only a girl from the third form of secondary school at the most can dream of such a Słowacki.

In Jan Goliński's work (3rd prize), Słowacki is, for a change, extremely belligerent and defiant. His legs and chest are bare, the rest of his body is covered by a stylised tunic, and he is squatting very awkwardly on cubic zigzags, among which his left hand is also lost, resting, it seems, on a formist harp, from behind which a piece of a sun disk looks out. Perhaps it would have escaped notice if the monument were to depict Achilles from Bogusławski's theatre as interpreted by Zbigniew Pronaszko. In any case, the design is conceived as a relief set into the wall of an edifice, so it does not meet the conditions of the competition.

Hardly. The competition failed.