„Theme of Work” as the Main Source of Painting Topics in Social Realism in the Second Half of the 19th Century

This article presents motive of work in Polish painting after 1850 when Social Realism was one of
the most important styles in art. It presents daily life of poor people particularly at work: craftsmen,
merchants, tradeswomen. They are painted as concerned, exhausted and unhappy. Choosing this type of
topics by painters was their reaction for political situation in our country. In that period of time, Poland
was after the fall of the January Uprising. People rejected romantic model and started to head towards
the vision of positivism. Work started to play an important role in the reconstruction of the country. It
was believed that thanks to hard work, cooperation of social strata and support for the poorest people it
would be possible to regain independence.
Motive of work was used very often by famous Polish artists such as Franciszek Kostrzewski, Henryk
Pilatti, Aleksander Gierymski and Józef Szermentowski. By their paintings they appealed to the ruling
elite so that it would appreciate the hard work made by lower classes and together try to fight for the
freedom of Poland. In this article I present and describe several paintings of Social Realism and focus on
the motive of work in the context of the historical background.