Dr Arkadiusz Wojtyła (1978–2021) – naukowiec i artysta

Abstract

MALGORZATA WYRZYKOWSKA (University of Wroclaw) / Dr. Arkadiusz Wojtyla (1978–2021) – scientist and artist
This article is in memory of Dr. Arkadiusz Wojtyla, who throughout his professional life was connected with the Unit of the History of Art and Culture of the Baroque at the Institute of Art History of the University of Wroclaw, being a research and didactic worker, deputy director of the Institute of Art History, and for many years the head of the Postgraduate Studies in the Knowledge of Art and Culture. He was a specialist in Baroque art with a particular focus on Silesia and its connections with Italian and Czech art. Dr. Wojtyla was an outstanding researcher and the great importance of the archival materials he found and used in the study of works of art was repeatedly stressed. Dr. Wojtyla’s contribution is particularly evident in the field of research concerning the broad ideological context of the works of art he analysed. He carefully read and broadly interpreted sources in order to thoroughly investigate the non-artistic contexts of works of art and to examine how they have influenced the shaping of their form. However, Arkadiusz Wojtyla was more than a scientist – he was an artist. He wrote prose texts for the drawer, painted and played the piano. He was a co-founder of the Klodzko Choir “Concerto Glacensis”, a chorister of the Wroclaw Choir “Con Vivum” led by Prof. Dr. habil. Marta Kierska-Witczak. Above all, he was a great erudite person, a great friend of students. His passing away is a profound loss for his entire community and friends.