WYSPIANSKI, STANISLAW

born Jan. 15, 1869, Krakw, Pol. died Nov. 28, 1907, Krakw dramatist and painter, considered the creator of modern Polish drama. In his plays, themes from Greek mythology and Polish history are blended to produce a new and highly original form of drama. Wyspianski's early education included classical literature and fine arts. In 1890 he received a grant, enabling him to visit the art cities of western and central Europe; between 1890 and 1894 he paid several visits to Paris. His first published work, Legenda (A Legend), a dramatic fantasy, appeared in 1897. It was followed by two tragedies after the Greek pattern, Klatwa (1899; The Malediction) and Sedziowie (1900; The Judges), and Kazimierz Wielki (1900), a poem on patriotic themes. Wesele (The Wedding), his greatest and most popular play, was premiered in 1901. Its story was suggested by the actual marriage of the poet Lucjan Rydel to a beautiful peasant girl in a village near Krakw. The marriage is used symbolically to present a sweeping panorama of Poland's past, present, and future. The great emotional and political impact of Wesele shook Krakw at its first performance; the drama was later staged throughout Poland. A successor play, Wyzwolenie (Liberation), published two years later, contained ideological commentary on Wesele. In 1905 Wyspianski was appointed professor at the Krakw Academy of Fine Arts. His paintings, especially his designs for stained-glass windows, reveal his genius for dramatic and visionary composition.