Panorama Racławicka
Panorama Racławicka is a panoramic painting commemorating one of the most important victorious battles in Polish history, the Battle of Racławice fought on 4 April 1794 by the insurgent army. The scene was created on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the victory. The battle is often called a Kościuszko Insurgence as General Tadeusz Kościuszko (1746-1817) led Polish rebels against the Russian army1.
Two well-known in Poland painters, Jan Styka and Wojciech Kossak, with assistance of several other artists, have worked on this large (15 – 114 meters) piece of painting between 1893-18942.
Years ago, when I was in primary school, I went on a school trip to Wrocław to see Panorama Racławicka. I forgot about this visit and only remembered it today when during the lecture we talked about panorama painting as the beginning of immersive art.
I remember how amazed I was by the scale of the painting and the fact that it was panoramic. What impressed me the most was that the scene was coming out of the canvas, it was extended to the real world; the landscape would simply continue towards the audience, outside the painting. There were trees and other elements that first appeared as the elements of the painting, but when looked at from different angles, the visitor would notice that they were 3d models. The distinction between the canvas and the space outside the canvas was blurry, and that strengthened the impact Panorama Racławicka had on the viewers.
The way how the painting is displayed makes it immersive and popular amongst tourists. It is a 360-degree piece of art presented in a specially designed and built round museum building (rotunda).
The composition of the painting, colours, lighting in the scene, and attention to details, as well as the mentioned extension of the picture, make it immersive (in a non-technological way). The idea of panorama painting was to enable the viewers to have a non-mediated experience of being live and present at the presented events. Panorama Racławicka is an example of a successful execution of that concept.
What is interesting, in 2021 the Panorama Racławicka museum added to their exhibition a spatial model on which the course of the Battle of Racławice is mapped3. This modern addition is an indication of a need for more up-to-date immersive elements in cultural spaces, such as art galleries and museums. VR experience of the battle and events related to that occurrence could be another step towards present-day market and demanding viewers.
1 Muzeum Narodowe we Wrocławiu. (n.d.). Panorama of the Battle of Racławice. [online] Available at: https://mnwr.pl/en/branches/panorama-of-the-battle-of-raclawice/ [Accessed 2 Dec. 2021].
2 Muzeum Narodowe we Wrocławiu. (n.d.). Panorama Racławicka. [online] Available at: https://panoramaraclawicka.pl/ [Accessed 2 Dec. 2021].
3 Ibid.