Although as a whole artistic colonies in Europe may seem to have been quite varied, there was one distinct idea that unified them. It was the Romantic ideal of turning to primeval and unspoiled nature. Realizations of this concept, however, took various forms. The earliest was the artists’ settlement in Barbizon; its variations can be seen in any other colony, regardless of its place, date of origin, or duration. Nonetheless, not all colonies followed the same pattern. For example, the Abramtsevo colony—established through the generous aid of a well-off art lover at a location that had not previously been an artists’ hub—was quite different from colonies like the one in Barbizon, which were set up in places already frequented by painters. In such cases, it might be difficult to decide whether a place was already an artistic colony or just a spot where painters liked to come. If painters’ visits continued, and if the pattern of artistic activity was sustained by subsequent generations of painters who themselves traveled to take up residence in a given community, then one can describe a town as an artistic colony in the sense of a place, and not merely as a colony comprised of a bigger or smaller group of cooperating artists.

Kazimierz on the Vistula falls into that latter category of colonies. Painters started coming there at the end of the eighteenth century and have kept up the tradition ever since. Even at this general level, without going into too much detail on how the process of shaping the colony unfolded, Kazimierz might be seen as a unique phenomenon when compared with other European artistic colonies. One reason for the town’s singularity could be that painting in Kazimierz has been a continuous tradition (the artistic results of this tradition present separate issues, which will not be discussed here). Also important is the fact that regardless of any artistic and non-artistic concepts, Kazimierz itself became an idea, or a program, for artists of all sorts who visited the town. Ideas kept changing: some disappeared, others were created. Kazimierz continued its existence independent of the ever-shifting kaleidoscope of artistic currents, while providing a safe haven in which new ideas could be realized.

The town maintained its spatial layout, whose exceptional beauty came from its intermingling of nature and architecture. Artists were not the only visitors attracted by this picturesque townscape, although they were the ones who praised it above all. Kazimierz seemed to be “created” to be an artist’s “model.” Each generation of painters reinforced this notion. They kept communing with Kazimierz, regardless of changing trends and styles of painting.

From Waldemar Odorowski, Artistic Colony in Kazimierz Dolny. Centuries 19^th–21^st, trans. Joanna Roszak, revised by Halina Goldberg and Virginia Whealton (Kazimierz Dolny: Nadwiślańskie Museum in Kazimierz Dolny, 2005), 29–30.