Roma theme in the art work of Antoni Kozakiewicz

Polish artist Antoni Kozakiewicz (1841–1929) as one of the most recognized figures of the realistic trend in Polish painting is the author of a number of paintings of genre art, which reflect the specifics of the nomadic life of the Roma people in Europe in the 2nd half of the 19th – first third of the 20th century. Today, the artist’s works are examples of highly professional realistic painting and unique historical evidence of Roma life, so it is advisable to study them taking into account both aspects. This research vision led to the formulation of the goal – a comprehensive analysis of a series of art works by Antoni Kozakiewicz dedicated to the reflection of life and customs of the Roma people. The results have been summarized: the study has confirmed that the Roma storyline is leading in the art work of Antoni Kozakiewicz, one of the most famous artists of the realistic trend. The analysis of his works «In the Gypsy Camp» (1885), «The Gypsy Family» (1886), «The Kidnapped» (1886), «The Artist in the Gypsy Camp» (1886), «The Little Virtuoso» (late nineteenth century), «The Gypsies» (1924) found that these and other works of the artist have features of figurative language: romantic mood of the plots; details manifested in the depiction of life of the Roma camp; the importance of animals for the nomadic way of life; crafts and other activities, etc.; warm cheerful coloration with color accents (red, white, etc.), which are associated with the Roma way of life and mentality; psychologism in the depiction of the Roma images, universal values (motherhood, family values, etc.) against the background of ethnic specifics of the Roma life. Thus, the author argues that Antoni Kozakiewicz respected the original Roma culture and identified his contribution to the process of improving attitudes towards the Roma people in Europe.