Andrzej Szczerski
Prace Historyczne, Numer 147 (4), 2020, s. 869 - 881
https://doi.org/10.4467/20844069PH.20.049.12503Art and architecture for the Second Polish Republic
The period of the Second Polish Republic was a time of dynamic processes of unification and modernisation. They were also reflected in art and architecture. This should not come as a surprise given the fact that Polish artists were involved in the struggle for independence on the battlefields, while they also documented Polish military efforts during the World War I. Later on, they held positions in the state administration, especially in the administrative structures responsible for art patronage and education; finally, they were also active in the field of national propaganda. The authorities of the Second Polish Republic appreciated the importance of modern art, especially that the restoration of independence coincided with a debate about the various definitions of the Polish national style. This debate, which involved supporters of vernacular stylisation and those who promoted modernism, found its complex reflection in the Polish General Exhibition in Poznańin 1929. The exhibition confirmed that the leading role in the process of modernisation was assumed by architecture and urban planning.