Relationships and family ties in selected nineteenth-century juvenile correspondence of Jacek Malczewski

Jacek Malczewski left behind a rich legacy not only in art but also in epistolography. His letters and other artefacts are scattered in many institutions of science, culture and art. Of particular interest is his correspondence, including that from his teenage years, in which the existing family relationships and bonds with his loved ones are clearly discernible. Malczewski’s letters are an important, though not the only, complement to the artist’s biography. They emanate genuine filial love full of respect towards his parents and also his siblings. Jacek addressed most of his letters to his father, with whom he had a friendly relationship. His father was an important guide, teacher and authority for him, shaping his senses and character from an early age. His mother was a tender and caring nurturer, and his sisters cherished him and cared, especially in old age, for his livelihood and health. The Malczewski family was an example of a patriarchal 19th-century family in which it was not strict orders and prohibitions but love, respect and care that constituted the well-being of all members of the household. A selection of correspondence from Malczewski’s teenage years illustrates the relationship between parents and children, as well as siblings, at an important time in every young person’s life.