Wojciech Weiss

Born May 4, 1875, in Leorda, Rumania; died Dec. 7, 1950, in Kraków. Polish painter and graphic artist.

Weiss studied at the School of Fine Arts in Kraków (1890-99) under J. Matejko, J. Falat, and L. Wyczólkow- ski. He taught there from 1910. In his early works (portraits and genre paintings) he followed the realist traditions of the 19th century and used various devices of impressionism. In the Polish People’s Republic he became one of the found- ers of the art of socialist realism. Weiss created the severe, almost monochromatic composition Manifesto (1950, National Museum, Kraków), which is devoted to the proclamation of popular power in Poland.