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Draft:Stefan Norblin de la Gourdaine

Juliusz Stefan Norblin de la Gourdaine
Stefan Norblin
Born26 June 1892
Warsaw, Kingdom of Poland
Died12 August 1952(1952-08-12) (aged 60)
San Francisco, United States
Resting placePowązki Cemetery
NationalityPolish
Occupation(s)Painter, illustrator, poster designer and interior designer
MovementArt Nouveau, Modernism, Art Deco
SpouseLena Żelichowska

Juliusz Stefan Norblin de la Gourdaine (1892-1952), known as Stefan Norblin, was a Polish visual artist, painter, caricaturist, illustrator, poster designer, and interior, architectural and fashion designer. He created, among others, modernist and Art Nouveau advertising posters as well as Art Deco paintings. He also realised the interior decoration (frescoes) of several rooms of the Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India.

Biography

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Origins and childhood

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Stefan Norblin was born in Warsaw 26 June 1892 into an artistic family. His great-great-grandfather was the French painter Jean-Pierre Norblin de La Gourdaine[1] who moved to Poland and lived there till 1804. One of Jean-Pierre's son, Alexandre Jean Constantin Norblin, returned to Poland in 1819:[2] he was the great-grandfather of Stefan.[3]

Stefan is the son of factory owners: his grandfather founded the Norblin, Bracia Buch i T. Werner a Joint-stock company of metal factory,[4] which was taken over by Wincenty, Stefan's father.

Stefan studied painting in Antwerp and Dresden.

He made his debut in 1913 with an exhibition in Amsterdam.[5]

Interwar years

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After Poland regained independence, Norblin lived in Warsaw where he achieved success as a graphic artist and designer, creating posters, book covers, costumes and stage decors. In particular, he realised during this interwar period a series of posters promoting Polish cities, following a commission by the Polish Ministry of Communication.[5]

In 1920, Stefan took part in the Polish–Soviet War. At the end of the conflict, he returned to Warsaw, where he married his second wife Lena Żelichowska, a then famous actress and dancer.

Second World War

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At the start of the Invasion of Poland in September 1939, the couple left the country, accompanied by writer and journalist Marian Hemar, for Romania. Afterwards, the Norblins intended to find shelter in United States, traveling through Asia. On the way, they stayed in Persia and in India.

There, Stefan created a series of frescoes decorating the interior of the Umaid Bhawan Palace for the Maharaja of Jodhpur,[6] the largest private residence in the country.

He also painted portraits of the local aristocracy. Furthermore, Norblin painted the Sardar Samand hunting lodge, built in 1933 for Maharaja Umaid Singha.[7]

The couple's son, Andrew, was born in India in 1944.

Post war years

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After the war, the family settled permanently in the United States, where he earned his living as a portrait painter.[6] Stefan commited suicide in San Francisco on August 12, 1952, presumably fearing a by progressive loss of eyesight.[6] His wife Lena survived him 6 years, taking on various jobs. She passed away on 26 August 1958 at the age of 48.

Re-discover

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In 2007, Polish Television produced a documentary film Stefan Norblin, telling about the artist's life[8]. In 2011, a documentary film Chitraanjali. Stefan Norblin in India was also made, directed by Małgorzata Skiba, produced by the National Audiovisual Institute in cooperation with the Polish Embassy in New Delhi. The film shows the artist's work in India, which combines European motifs with Indian mythology and culture. This documentary received an Honorary Mention in the prestigious Los Angeles Film Awards 2012[9]. It is available in its entirety on the Ninateka internet platform. Further research and comprehensive promotion of Norblin's work is carried out by The National Institute of Polish Cultural Heritage Abroad "Polonika", established in 2017, which has produced two animated films: "Eternal Fire"[10] and the documentary "Ramayana in the Palace in Jodhpur. Recovered Thread in the Works of Stefan Norblin”[11].

On October 12, 2012, the ashes of Stefan Norblin and his wife were buried in the Norblin family tomb at Stare Powązki in Warsaw[12] (quarter F/G-5-1/2)[13]. Sample posters by Stefan Norblin

Family

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  • Jean-Pierre Norblin de La Gourdaine
    • Marcin was an accomplished cellist
    • Louis Pierre Martin Norblin
    • Sébastien Norblin
    • Alexandre-Jean-Constant Norblin
      • Grandson Wincenty and
        • great-grandson Ludwik founded the famous metal products factory in Warsaw, which operated in the years 1834-1939 – from 1882 on Żelazna Street, and after nationalization in 1947 – as Walcownia Metali "Warszawa" – until 1981.

First wife Maria Helena Gronkiewicz (1903-1997). marriage probably on November 25, 1926. She then became Marian Hemar's wife between 1936 and 1956.

Second wife Lena Żelichowska. Andrew Norblin son of Stefan, classical guitar virtuoso Andrew Norblin (born 1944). Her son inherited her musical talent. His mother only half-financed his first guitar, as she could not afford to buy her son his dream instrument for his birthday. Andrew was orphaned at the age of 14. The musician, who is over sixty years old, remembers his parents with reverence, but does not speak Polish [12] . The artist appeared in a documentary about his father: Stefan Norblin, directed by Robert Ćwikliński.

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See also

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stefan Norblin.

References

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  1. ^ "Stefan Norblin". desa.pl. Desa Unicum. 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  2. ^ Polski Słownik Biograficzny. Tom 23 [Polish Biographical Dictionary] (in Polish). Warsaw: Polska Akademia Nauk. 1978. pp. 182–183.
  3. ^ "Jan Piotr Norblin. Sentymentalny reporter". zamek-krolewski.pl. Zamek Królewski w Warszawie. December 2022. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  4. ^ Encyklopedia Warszawy [Warsaw Encyclopedia] (in Polish). Warsaw: Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN. 1994. p. 546. ISBN 83-01-08836-2.
  5. ^ a b Policht, Piotr (20 January 2019). "Stefan Norblin — malarz maharadży". culture.pl. Ministerstwo Kultury i Dziedzictwa Narodowego. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  6. ^ a b c Steciński, Józef (2010). Konserwacja malowideł ściennych Stefana Norblina w Pałacu Umaid Bhawan w Jodhpur – Indie. W: Stan badań nad wielokulturowym dziedzictwem dawnej Rzeczypospolitej [Conservation of Stefan Norblin's wall paintings in the Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur – India. In: The state of research on the multicultural heritage of the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.] (in Polish). Białystok: Benkowski Publishing Ballons. pp. 341, 343. ISBN 978-83-925705-1-6.
  7. ^ "Malarstwo Stefana Norblina". iam.pl. Instytut Adama Mickiewicza. 17 January 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-01-17. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  8. ^ Internetowa Baza Filmu Polskiego: Stefan Norblin, film dokumentalny.
  9. ^

    Error: No text given for quotation (or equals sign used in the actual argument to an unnamed parameter)

    — Chitraanjali. Stefan Norblin in India | Małgorzata Skiba
  10. ^

    Error: No text given for quotation (or equals sign used in the actual argument to an unnamed parameter)

    — Eternal Fire
  11. ^

    Error: No text given for quotation (or equals sign used in the actual argument to an unnamed parameter)

    — Stefan Norblin | Recovered Thread in the Works of Stefan Norblin
  12. ^ em, pap (2012-10-12). "He painted for the Indian maharaja; Norblin exhibition in Wilanów". Wprost. Retrieved 2012-11-28.
  13. ^ Cmentarz Stare Powązki: NORBLINOWIE, [w:] Warszawskie Zabytkowe Pomniki Nagrobne [dostęp 2020-01-31]

Bibliography

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  • Rudowski, Jan (1992). Polski słownik biograficzny T. 33 [Polish Biographical Dictionary Vol. 33 (1991-1992)] (in Polish). Wrocław: Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich - Wydawnictwo Polskiej Akademii Nauk. pp. 501–515.
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  • [httpupniewski] error: {{in lang}}: missing language tag
  • BBC article
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