Casimir Markievicz

Casimir Dunin-Markievicz ( ; ; 15 March 1874 – 2 December 1932), known as Count Markievicz, was a Polish painter, scenic designer, playwright, theatre director and the husband of the Irish revolutionary Constance Markievicz.

Early life and family Markievicz was born on 15 March 1874 in Denhofowka, Kiev Governorate (present-day Denykhivka, Ukraine). He was one of nine children of Piotr Dunin-Markiewicz, a landowner and nobleman, and Maria Chrzaszczewska. Descended from landowners and horse breeders of the Polonised Lithuanian gentry , Markievicz grew up at his family's estate in , Podolia Governorate (present-day Zhyvotivka, Ukraine). Whilst in Kyiv, Markievicz met his future wife Jadwiga Splawa Neyman. (Also cited as Jadwiga Neyman.)

Settling in Paris in 1895 (Also cited as 1894.) The following year the couple's daughter, Maeve, was born at Lissadell House.

In the 1911 Irish census, Markievicz gave his occupation as "Count (Russian nobility)" but Stanisław later said in a letter that his father had not been a count.

Career Paris

In 1896, He exhibited a painting, The Travelling Beggar, at the , and two years later, at the same venue, he showed a number of portraits and a triptych, Bread. At the 1900 Paris Exposition he was awarded a medal of honour for the painting Amour, which was based on the legend of the fern flower, associated with Saint John's Eve. This brought him to the attention of the Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia, and led to the painting being displayed in St Petersburg and Kraków in 1901.

Dublin In 1902, Markievicz travelled with Constance to Paris, and then to visit his family in Żywotowka, where he painted family portraits and landscapes; they returned to Ireland via Paris in 1903, taking Casimir's son Stanislaw with them. They settled in Dublin where, through their acquaintance with George Russell (AE), they were introduced to the emerging artistic and literary society in the city. In October 1903, and again in August 1904, the Markieviczes and AE put on exhibitions in Dublin. The latter, titled Paintings from two Countries, included a large number of paintings by Casimir of both Ireland and Ukraine, including a portrait of AE. At this time, he also began to take on commissions, including a large group portrait, Investiture of the Right Hon. The Earl of Mayo as Knight of St. Patrick (1905).

In 1908, Markievicz formed the Independent Dramatic Company, which produced plays at the Abbey Theatre and the Gaiety Theatre. The company staged plays written by himself: first Seymour's Redemption; then The Dilettante, a co-production with the Theatre of Ireland, a rival company to the Abbey company. In 1910, with Constance, he wrote The Memory of the Dead, a melodrama centering on the 1798 Rebellion. Performed at the Abbey, it starred Constance and highlighted the role of women in the struggle for independence, containing the line, "if there are men in Ireland ready to die for their country, there are just as many women."

Poland

In 1913, Markievicz left Ireland, first travelling to Albania as a reporter, where he appears to have become an advisor to Prince William of Wied before leaving abruptly, showing up a short time later in Warsaw. Here, he stayed at the Bristol Hotel, and struck up a friendship with Arnold Szyfman of the nearby Polish Theatre.

He never returned to live in Ireland. However, he did correspond with his wife in Dublin and he was by her side when she died in 1927.

Towards the end of his life Markievicz was active in Warsaw, as well as a correspondent for British magazines, such as the Londoner Daily News. He also wrote the screenplay of a 1920 Polish film, Powrót, directed by Aleksander Hertz. His paintings included portraits, landscapes, and genre painting. The largest part of his art collection is held in Dublin, some remain in Poland (National Museum, Kraków, and in private collections). His talent lent itself particularly to the large oil portraits of two Polish statesmen: Marshal Piłsudski and Stanisław Wojciechowski. A catalogue for his works is still pending.

Death Markievicz died on 2 December 1932, in Warsaw. Seymour's Redemption, Abbey Theatre, 9 March 1908 The Dilettante, Abbey Theatre, 3 December 1908 Home Sweet Home (with Nora Fitzpatrick), Abbey Theatre, 3 December 1908 , Abbey Theatre, 14 April 1910 Mary, Abbey Theatre, 14 April 1910 Rival Stars, Gaiety Theatre, 11 December 1911