Applied graphics. Higher education in Poland before 1918

Abstract

The aim of the article is to present a synthesis of research on the history of higher education in art (applied graphics) in Poland before regaining independence. Art. schools were where opinion-forming groups originated. They were places where educational programs were constantly changing. The text analyzes the oldest Polish artistic and academic centers: Lviv, Cracow, Poznań, Warsaw and Vilnius. It follows arrangement based on chronology and problem areas, using the technique of document analysis. In the times discussed, activities popularizing graphic arts and practical application of graphics as well as education in that regard were not widespread. Progress was arduous. That stemmed from little social demand and slight opportunities of art education development. Difficult conditions did not disable, however, the presence of European tendencies both with respect to technical and applied graphics.