The Oblastní galerie "Lázně" in Liberec in North Bohemia presents a collection of paintings from the collection of the well-known industrialist and collector Heinrich von Liebieg. A prominent place among the works of 19th century European painting is held by Maximilian Gierymski's work "Shabbat on the Vistula River" from 1871.

Liberec
Liberec, despite being the fifth largest city in the Czech Republic and the capital of the Liberec Region neighbouring Poland, is not one of the Czech towns most frequently visited by Polish tourists. This is a pity, as it has a number of advantages. Firstly, its picturesque location in the Žitava Basin on the Lusatian Neisse River, at the foot of the towering peak of Ještěd (1012 m above sea level) in the Western Sudeten Mountains. Secondly, an interesting history, attractive monuments and valuable museum collections, among which there is also a Polish accent.

Heinrich von Liebieg Collection
. An important part of Liberec's cultural heritage is the collection of paintings on display in the Lázně Regional Gallery (Lázně), gathered by Heinrich von Liebieg (1839-1904), a representative of a family of industrialists who were particularly important for the development of the city in the second half of the 19th century. The progenitor of the family, Johann Liebieg, founder of the textile factory (1828), rose from a humble weaver's apprentice to one of the most important industrialists of the Habsburg Empire. His son, Heinrich von Liebieg (1839-1904), developed the family business while devoting himself to his love of the fine arts. He was an accomplished collector. An important part of his collection consisted of paintings by the French Barbizonians (atmospheric landscape paintings), but also 19th century genre paintings from Austria and Germany (mainly from the Munich school).

Polish painter Maksymilian Gierymski's painting 'Shabbat on the Vistula' is one of the pieces on display in the exhibition showcasing the collection. Heinrich von Liebieg bequeathed it and the entire collection in his will (1904) to the collection of the North Bohemian Museum in Liberec. Fortunately, the collection has survived to the present day and is an excellent illustration of the tastes of the educated bourgeoisie at the end of the 19th century.

The architecture and history of the gallery building should not be overlooked. It is a historic, highly impressive public baths building. It was put into use in 1902 on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the reign of Emperor Franz Joseph I and was named after him. The building, in the style of 19th-century historicism, was designed by the Viennese architect Peter Paul Brang. Since 2014, after renovation, conservation and adaptation, it has served as the home of the museum gallery.

Maximilian Gierymski - a short biography
The painting by the Polish author is displayed in a sequence of exhibitions of 19th-century landscape painting. However, it is hung separately, which allows for special attention to be focused on it. Its author, Maksymilian Gierymski (1846-1874), is one of the most important figures in Polish painting of the second half of the 19th century. He came from a Warsaw clerical family. His younger brother, Aleksander (1850-1901), also became a recognised painter. Maksymilian took part in the January Uprising, and later received artistic training in Warsaw and Munich. While staying in the latter city, he built up his painting style and gained recognition, not least from the numerous Polish artistic colony there. His paintings were commissioned by international art dealers and collectors. In 1874 he became a member of the Academy of Art in Berlin. He died prematurely of tuberculosis.

Maksymilian Gierymski is considered the leading representative of academic realism in Polish painting. His uprising scenes set in the native landscape, hunting scenes or atmospheric landscapes inspired by the views of Mazovia and Podlasie have entered the canon of national works. Despite the short period of his creative work, he gained a significant place in the history of Polish art.

"Shabbat on the Vistula "
Shabbat on the Vistula', presented in Liberec, was created in 1871. It is an oil painting on canvas, maintained in a muted range of colours, with accents of colour and light enlivening the composition. The figural scene in a Warsaw setting on the Vistula River depicts Jews praying on the holiday of Rosh-ha-Shanah, commonly known as the Feast of Trumpets, or the Hebrew New Year. On this day, the sound of horns (wind instruments) heralds the holiday, and praying by the water, by the flowing river, provides an opportunity to cleanse oneself of sins. It is important to enter the New Year clean.

However, a group of praying Jews in distinctive costumes does not fill the entire composition. The most important role is played by the landscape in which the scene is set. The poor houses and fences of the poor part of Warsaw on the banks of the Vistula, the moored boats, the steel-grey ribbon of the Vistula, the sandy road, the expanse of grass, the cloudy horizon. Plus figures as if from another world: the more elegant company observing prayers, rafters by the boats, figures emerging from the twilight.

The composition is well-balanced, the figures are rhythmically arranged, their lighter outfits accentuating the idea of the composition. The whole work is set in the moody twilight of the evening, which is diffused by the spotlights of lanterns or the glowing interior of the house visible in the background. The colouring is varied, but dim. Malicious critics called it 'Munich sauce', dulling the colourfulness of the scene.

At the same time, it is an excellent example of atmospheric composition. A great expert and admirer of Gierymski's work, Stanisław Witkiewicz (his father), wrote of it: "Stimmung, it is the making of a painting from feeling and memory". The painting is worth attention because of its artistic class and painting virtuosity, but also as a testimony to the intermingling of cultures in old Warsaw, which is no longer present to such an extent. The fact that the subject of Jews praying on the banks of the Vistula River was taken up years later by Aleksander Gierymski adds an extra "flavour" to the work. He created several versions of the "Feast of Trumpets", quoting and paraphrasing his brother's work, while at the same time showing painterly skills to surpass his achievements.

Significance of the Gierymski painting in the collection of Heinrich von Liebieg
We do not know the circumstances of the purchase of Maximilian Gierymski's painting for Heinrich von Liebieg's collection. Did it occur as a result of a suggestion from a dealer, or was it a personal choice by the collector, who was keen on the works of the Munich circle? Be that as it may, the presence of a Polish painting in the Liberec-based, skilfully assembled collection confirms the popularity and recognition that Maximilian Gierymski gained in Europe at the time.

Today, the entire exposition of 19th-century landscape and genre painting deserves attention, as it reminds us of a painting that once reigned supreme in the salons, now somewhat forgotten, displaced by later artists of the successive waves of the 20th-century avant-garde. It is worth remembering, however, that without the experiments of the Barbizonians and without the experience of the Munich painters, further breakthroughs in European painting might have proved impossible. From our Polish perspective, however, it is worth visiting the Łaźnia Gallery in Liberec to become acquainted with the outstanding painting work of Maximilian Gierymski and to immerse ourselves in an atmospheric scene transporting us to a no longer existing multicultural world on the unregulated banks of the Vistula River in Warsaw.