Ignacy Domeyko and Fine Arts

Abstract

A Polish scientist Ignacy Domeyko imprinted himself in historiography primarily as a founder of mineralogy in Chile. He was regarded as a reformer of the National Institute and held the position of as rector of the Universidad de Chile, having replaced Andres Bello. This paper aims at analysing Domeyko’s relationship with art, which has been hardly explored so far. This dimension of the Polish scholar’s activity, permanently associated with Chile since 1838, was reflected above all in his drawings, his interest in art and his collection of works, as well as his promotion of artistic education in Chile and his views on the function of art in social life.

Art invariably held an important place among Polish researcher’s interests. Over the years, he produced a whole series of drawings that were related not only to his academic work, but also to various moments in his life, as could be seen during commemorative ceremonies conducted after his death in 1889. Some meaningful articles were dedicated to Domeyko by the sculptor José Miguel Blanco in the magazine El Taller Ilustrado, where we can trace the Pole’s early relationship with art. Domeyko owned an art collection assembled during his European travels. He acquired nearly twenty copies and sculptures, including copies of such paintings as Bartolomé Esteban Murillo’s Our Lady (1618-1862) or Carnavalli’s copy of El Mendigo, also by Murillo, the original of which could probably have been admired in the Louvre Museum during Domeyko’s stay in Paris. In addition, he also bought a Peregrino by the Flemish painter Peter Jacob Horemans (1700-1776) and a bust depicting Rembrandt by an unknown artist. Finally, Domeyko had a significant impact on development of artistic education in Chile. There are various indications that Ignacy Domeyko constantly cared about education of Chilean architects, painters and sculptors. His letter of July 1867 reflects the attention he paid to the Fine Arts as a member of the university section of the National Institute; the document describes conditions of such art branches as architecture, painting, drawing and sculpture, providing detailed information on the scholarship recipients who broadened their knowledge in Paris. His attention to the Fine Arts seems to have been motivated primarily by his personal passions, more than by his public function.