Artist

Jan Matejko

1838–1893 · born in Free City of Kraków · died in Kraków

Jan Matejko was born in Kraków, Poland, and became the nation's great painter of history. He made huge canvases of Poland's glories and heartbreaks, at a time when Poland was no longer an independent country. He lived most of his life in Kraków, where he later directed the School of Fine Arts. He's a national hero for keeping Polish memory alive.