Ave Maria

Piotr Stachiewicz, a distinguished Polish painter and illustrator, was born on October 29, 1858, in Nowosiółki Gościnne, within the Sambor region, and passed away on April 14, 1938, in Kraków. His artistic journey began at the Kraków School of Fine Arts from 1877 to 1883, where he studied under the tutelage of Jan Matejko, Władysław Łuszczkiewicz, and Florian Cynk. Stachiewicz further honed his skills at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich between 1882 and 1885. Settling in Kraków in 1885, he dedicated his career to creating religious, historical, and genre paintings, as well as portraits, with a particular fondness for depicting the Virgin Mary with the Child Jesus, scenes from the life of Kraków's folk, and the persecution of early Christians. His series 'Królowa Niebios. Legendy o Matce Boskiej' (Queen of Heaven. Legends of the Mother of God) from 1893 gained him widespread acclaim, alongside his illustrations for Henryk Sienkiewicz's 'Quo Vadis' and works by Adam Mickiewicz and Maria Konopnicka. Stachiewicz's contributions to art were recognized with the Officer's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta in 1923. Beyond his artistic endeavors, he played a significant role in Kraków's cultural life, co-founding the magazine 'Świat' and holding leadership positions in various artistic associations, including the Society of Friends of Fine Arts and the Union of Polish Artists in Kraków.