Adam Chmielowski (1845-1916) is best known for his participation in the January Uprising and his religious activities under the rule of St Francis of Assisi, when, donning a grey habit as Brother Albert, he devoted himself to working for the poor and homeless. Few remember, however, that in the 1970s he was one of the most promising young Polish painters and art theorists active in Munich. His works of the time betrayed the influence of Realism and heralded the Symbolist current in Polish art.

Chmielowski's Munich episode

In 1870, thanks to a scholarship from Count and patron of the arts Włodzimierz Dzieduszycki, Chmielowski travelled to Munich to study at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. During his five-year stay in the city, he entered the Academy's painting from nature class and took painting lessons from, among others, the representative of the Düsseldorf school Hermann Anschütz (1802-1880) and the German history painter Alexander Strähuber (1814-1882). He enrolled in the Kunstverein association. He circulated in the milieu of Polish painters, including Jozef Brandt (1841-1915), the brothers Maksymilian (1846-1874) and Aleksander (1850-1901) Gierymski and Jozef Chelmonski (1849-1914), which came to be known as the "Munich School". This group was made up of artists who, like him to a large extent, left Poland after the January Uprising and the closure of the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts. They shared a common interest in Romantic painting and themes related to Poland. In their works, they liked to immortalise the native landscape and scenes from the January Uprising. Their canvases were characterised by an atmosphere of mystery and a contemplative mood (German: Stimmung). Among his colleagues, Chmielowski stood out for his knowledge of art theory.

The studio at Sonnenstraße 10

Due to limited funds, between 1873 and 1874 Chmielowski shared a small studio and flat with Maximilian Gierymski in a tenement at Sonnenstraße 10. Situated in the city centre, on a green boulevard on the border between the Altstadt and Ludwigsvorstadt districts, the premises were only half an hour's walk from the university.

Chmielowski's correspondence from this period with Lucjan Sieminski, reveals that although Chmielowski and Gierymski differed in outlook and disposition, they were united by a close friendship. Adam accompanied Maximilian in the last days of his life at the Reichenhall resort. Gierymski died in the presence of his friend in 1874. After his death, Chmielowski left Munich and returned to his homeland. Perhaps the loss influenced his decision to don the habit.