Eight and a Half Weeks. Daniel Chodowiecki. Documentalist of the Era

Travel back in time to the 18th century with the second exhibition of Daniel Chodowiecki's works! From May 8 to July 5, his prints and drawings are on display at the Department of Old Art of the National Museum in Gdańsk, under the motto “Documentalist of the Era.”

In 2026, we celebrate the 300th anniversary of the birth of this artist, who is very important for Gdańsk. On this occasion, the curators from the National Museum in Gdańsk, Alicja Andrzejewska-Zając and Maja Mociewicz, have prepared a series of exhibitions introducing the most important themes of his work. The first one discussed the new Enlightenment approach to family, while the second shows Chodowiecki's exceptional social sensitivity and observational skills.

– Chodowiecki's work is an incredibly rich record of social life in the second half of the 18th century. By creating illustrative cycles for popular fictional and scientific publications, as well as the popular pocket calendars of the time, he meticulously depicted details of costumes, interior furnishings, architecture, and customs – says one of the curators of the “Eight and a Half Weeks” exhibition series, Maja Mociewicz.

Seeking inspiration and picturesque motifs, the artist often traversed the streets of Berlin. He immortalized Berliners' favorite walking spots, sketching from nature the most popular forms of relaxation and recreation. He drew the inhabitants he encountered and observed their daily lives. He documented the city's situation after the Seven Years' War (1756–1763), the visible effects of which on the streets included prisoners of war and invalids, beggars, vivandières with children, and intriguing representatives of the Turkish embassy that arrived in Berlin in 1763.