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Student Artwork Guide

Grunwald battlefield

Jan Matejko

Name Class Date
Jan Matejko, Grunwald battlefield. Public domain. See this canvas under a moving light: the drawing, the true colour under the varnish, the bare pigment

The facts

Artist
Jan Matejko originaluniqueart.com/en/artists/jan-matejko/
Artist’s dates
1838 – 1893
Movement
Romanticism Art that puts feeling, wildness and the power of nature above calm order and rules.

Copyright This work is in the public domain. Jan Matejko died in 1893; copyright lasts 70 years after the artist’s death, so it ended in 1963.

Source: OriginalUniqueArt.com — accessed Oct. 9, 2026

Grunwald battlefield — Jan Matejko Part 1 · The artwork

In context

Grunwald battlefield — Jan Matejko

When might this have been painted?

  1. 1830
  2. 1840
  3. 1850
  4. 1860
  5. 1870
  6. 1880
  7. 1890

Row above: the years. Row below: how old the artist was at the start and at the end of each span — 0 at birth, 55 at death.

Shaded: the lifetime of Jan Matejko (1838–1893) every dated painting, decade by decade

First works: up to 1867 Main working years: 1867–1888 Late works: from 1888

Those three bands split the works this catalogue has a date for into a first quarter, a middle half and a last quarter. They are not the artist’s complete output: a thin stretch may be a gap in the record rather than a quiet spell. The same years with the artist’s life laid along them

This record has no exact year on file — using the artist's lifetime and the work's style, what decade would you guess?

Compare with

Pick one work above: name two things it shares with this one, and one thing that's different.

More works to set beside this one: originaluniqueart.com/en/art/similar/jan-matejko-grunwald-battlefield-8XYB68-en/

Colours

Measured from the image

    Main colour

    Quinacridone Magenta #885f40

    Catalogued palette

    • #885F40
    • #DAC48D
    • #56392C
    • #BC925F

    These colours inside the artist’s whole palette Find other paintings by colour

    Palette
    Dark The dominant colour family in the image.
    Main colour name
    Quinacridone Magenta
    Intensity
    Vivid How saturated and varied the colours are, from a single toned-down hue to many bright ones.
    Contrast
    Bold How much the colours differ in lightness and saturation across the picture.
    Harmony
    Strong Color Unity How well the colours work together, from clashing to fully unified.
    Brightness
    Bright How light or dark the picture reads overall, from deep shadow to bright highlight.
    Saturation
    Balanced Soft How pure and strong the colours are, from near-grey to fully vivid.

    Where in the world is this painting looked at?

    • under 1%
    • 1–3%
    • 3–8%
    • 8–20%
    • 20% and over
    This painting alone has too few recorded visitors to map, so the plate reads every work by Jan Matejko over the last twelve months — 25 countries in all. Where these figures come from

    The ten leading countries

    1. 1 China 40.3%5,400 visits
    2. 2 Czechia 25.4%3,400 visits
    3. 3 France 5.2%700 visits
    4. 4 United States of America 3.7%500 visits
    5. 5 Slovakia 3.0%400 visits
    6. 6 Hong Kong 2.2%300 visits
    7. 7 Singapore 2.2%300 visits
    8. 8 Belarus 1.5%200 visits
    9. 9 Germany 1.5%200 visits
    10. 10 Luxembourg 1.5%200 visits
    11. · 15 other countries 13.5%1,800 visits

    Find the three darkest countries on the map. Is the museum that keeps this painting in any of them? Write down one reason people far away might look at it.

    The 20 most looked-at works by Jan Matejko

    1. 1 Stańczyk, 1862 32.6%6,200 visits
    2. 2 Battle of Grunwald (detail) (10), 1878 11.1%2,100 visits
    3. 3 Bathory at Pskov, 1872 5.8%1,100 visits
    4. 4 Sobieski sending Message of Victory to the Pope, after the Battle of Vienna 4.7%900 visits
    5. 5 The Battle of Grunwald [Tannenberg] 3.7%700 visits
    6. 6 Self-portrait, 1892 2.1%400 visits
    7. 7 Battle of Grunwald, 1878 2.1%400 visits
    8. 8 Empress Rejtan 2.1%400 visits
    9. 9 output scholars 2.1%400 visits
    10. 10 Battle of Grunwald, Jan Zizka(detail) 1.6%300 visits
    11. 11 To Stanczyk 1.6%300 visits
    12. 12 Copernicus in the tower at Frombork, or Conversations with God, 1872 1.1%200 visits
    13. 13 The Fall of Poland, 1866 1.1%200 visits
    14. 14 The Prussian Homage, 1882 1.1%200 visits
    15. 15 Gamrat and Stanczyk, 1878 1.1%200 visits
    16. 16 Julian Bukowski 1.1%200 visits
    17. 17 Battle of Grunwald (detail) 1.1%200 visits
    18. 18 Entry Valois 1.1%200 visits
    19. 19 Jagiello with Witold 1.1%200 visits
    20. — Grunwald battlefield this painting 0.0%0 visits

    Together these works take 78.3% of all the attention this artist's paintings received over the last twelve months. The catalogue holds 202 works by this artist, of which 57 were looked at at least once. This painting has not been looked at yet in that time — it closes the list without a rank. The same counts, month by month

    Bars measure attention, not quality. Pick the work at the top and this one: name one thing that might make a painting famous beyond how well it is painted.

    Source: OriginalUniqueArt.com — accessed Oct. 9, 2026

    Grunwald battlefield — Jan Matejko Part 2 · In context

    Artist and museum

    Artist

    Jan Matejko

    Born in Krakow, Poland

    early life and education

    jan alojzy matejko, a renowned polish painter, was born on june 24, 1838, in kraków, poland. his father, franciszek ksawery matejko, was a czech-born tutor and music teacher. jan's early life was marked by the kraków revolution of 1846 and the 1848 siege of kraków by the austrians, events that would later influence his artistic themes. matejko attended st. ann's high school but dropped out in 1851 due to poor grades. however, he showed exceptional talent for art from an early age. he studied at the school of fine arts in kraków from 1852 to 1858, specializing in historical painting under the tutelage of wojciech korneli stattler and władysław łuszczkiewicz.

    artistic career

    matejko's first major work, tsars shuyski before zygmunt iii, was completed in 1853. he began exhibiting his historical paintings at the kraków society of friends of fine arts in 1855. notable works include:

    rejtan (1866): a large oil on canvas painting depicting a pivotal moment in polish history.

    union of lublin (1869): a significant piece showcasing matejko's skill in capturing historical events.

    battle of grunwald (1878): a masterpiece that highlights his ability to convey the intensity of battle scenes.

    museological contributions and legacy

    matejko spent most of his life in kraków, eventually becoming a director at the jan matejko academy of fine arts, formerly known as the kraków academy of fine arts. his students included prominent painters such as maurycy gottlieb, jacek malczewski, józef mehoffer, and stanisław wyspiański. notable works available on AllPaintingsStore:

    jan matejko: varna (romanticism)

    jan matejko: still life (romanticism)

    jan matejko: the union of lublin (298 x 512 cm, romanticism, oil on canvas)

    view more works by jan matejko on AllPaintingsStore: jan matejko | 203 artworks matejko passed away on november 1, 1893, leaving behind a legacy as poland's most famous painter and the "national painter" of poland. his contributions to historical painting continue to inspire artists and art enthusiasts alike.

    references:

    discovering the masterpieces of muzeum narodowe krakow, poland (wikipedia.org)

    Where to read more

    Find this online

    QR code linking to the download page for Grunwald battlefield

    originaluniqueart.com/en/art/download/jan-matejko-grunwald-battlefield-8XYB68-en/

    Cite this artwork

    MLA
    Matejko, Jan. Grunwald battlefield. n.d., https://originaluniqueart.com/en/art/jan-matejko-grunwald-battlefield-8XYB68-en/
    APA
    Matejko, Jan (n.d.). Grunwald battlefield [Painting]. https://originaluniqueart.com/en/art/jan-matejko-grunwald-battlefield-8XYB68-en/
    Chicago
    Jan Matejko. Grunwald battlefield. n.d. https://originaluniqueart.com/en/art/jan-matejko-grunwald-battlefield-8XYB68-en/
    Harvard
    Matejko, Jan (n.d.) Grunwald battlefield. Available at: https://originaluniqueart.com/en/art/jan-matejko-grunwald-battlefield-8XYB68-en/

    Source: OriginalUniqueArt.com — accessed Oct. 9, 2026

    Grunwald battlefield — Jan Matejko Part 3 · Artist and museum

    Look closely

    Grunwald battlefield — Jan Matejko

    Look closely

    Answer in your own words. There are no wrong answers here — only answers you can explain.

    1. What catches your eye first, and why?
    2. Which colours or shapes create the mood — and what is that mood?
    3. Our catalogue files this work under: medieval battle, polish history, military conflict. Do you agree? What would you add, or take away?
    4. Look back at Bathory at Pskov (1872), earlier in this guide. Name two things it shares with this work, and one that is different.
    5. Romanticism: Art that puts feeling, wildness and the power of nature above calm order and rules. Where can you see that in this work?

    Your response

    Write a short paragraph about this artwork. Use the facts from the earlier parts of this guide, and your answers above.

    Source: OriginalUniqueArt.com — accessed Oct. 9, 2026

    Grunwald battlefield — Jan Matejko Part 4 · Look closely

    Questions & Answers

    Is "Grunwald battlefield" free of copyright?

    "Grunwald battlefield" by Jan Matejko is in the public domain - its copyright has expired. This status governs how the image of the work may be reproduced.

    What level of contrast does "Grunwald battlefield" by Jan Matejko show?

    The light-dark contrast of "Grunwald battlefield" is recorded as bold. Contrast describes how strongly light and dark areas differ.

    Are the colors of "Grunwald battlefield" by Jan Matejko vivid or muted?

    The color of "Grunwald battlefield" is balanced soft in saturation and vivid in intensity.