Stanisław Raczyński was a Polish painter, graphic artist, and set designer. He was born in Wadowice in 1903. He studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow under the guidance of Ignacy Pieńkowski, Teodor Axentowicz, and Wojciech Weiss, as well as graphic art under Jan Wojnarski. He graduated in 1926. From 1927 to 1928, he worked as a set designer at the Popular Theatre in Krakow, and then for two years at the Grand Theatre in Poznań. In 1930, he went to Paris on a scholarship from the Ministry of Religious Denominations and Public Education, also supplementing his education in Italy.
Raczyński engaged in graphic art, advertising, and illustration. He created illustrations for Franz Kafka's "The Trial" and François Rabelais' "The Life of Gargantua and Pantagruel," among others. He also published two portfolios of woodcuts featuring Polish architectural monuments.
He primarily worked with woodcuts, remaining under the strong influence of Władysław Skoczylas. He often focused on rural and Highland themes, portraying the people of the mountains or creating multi-figured genre scenes. He also depicted architectural views, and less frequently, female portraits and religious themes. Raczyński's graphics are characterized by decorative stylization.
Stanisław Raczyński passed away in 1982 in Krakow.
