Apollo Patron of the Arts – meeting with the artists
We are delighted to have had the opportunity to introduce the Apollo butterfly to exceptional guests. When we invited them to join us in mid-July, all three enthusiastically accepted. Apollo in his natural habitat was visited by:
- Sławomir Gortych
- Anna Szczypczyńska
- Matylda Konecka
You can read more about them below!
Together, we visited one of the Apollo butterfly’s habitats to show our guests this remarkable site, where our team from LIFE Apollo2020 project has successfully re-established free-living population of the Apollo butterfly. The artists had the rare opportunity to observe one of Poland’s most beautiful butterflies up close – a species whose striking appearance has inspired artists for generations.
Our experts introduced the guests to the butterfly’s life cycle and biology, explained why its conservation is so important and discussed its ecological role within its habitat. They also shared fascinating stories about the Apollo butterfly’s natural history, the efforts to protect it and the pioneering researchers and collectors who first documented the species. More about these topics will appear in incoming book of Grażyna Prawda about the analysis of historical materials concerning the P. Apollo and its conservation.
The meeting became a unique dialogue between the worlds of art and nature conservation – something that, fittingly for a butterfly bearing the name Apollo, seems to have been woven into the species’ identity from the very beginning. We happily shared the story of this extraordinary and ethereal creature with our guests.
We quietly hope that this encounter has sparked a lasting friendship and that, before long, we may once again meet Apollo – perhaps in the pages of a novel or gazing back at us from the enchanting world of an illustration. Perhaps this time, paradoxically, it will be art that becomes Apollo’s patron…
Get to know the new friends of P. Apollo better:
Sławomir Gortych
This author doesn’t need much introduction to the polish readers. One of Poland’s most renowned and popular crime fiction authors and a multiple award-winning writer. Each of his novels has reached the top of Poland’s bestseller lists. His crime series masterfully combines historical events with fictional narratives, guiding readers through the dark and mysterious history of Lower Silesia and the Karkonosze Mountains. A mountain enthusiast and admirer of the region. His debut novel has been translated into Czech and has also been adapted for the stage.
Matylda Konecka
Raised in the Karkonosze Mountains, Matylda Konecka is an award-winning artist and illustrator. Through her paintings, she invites viewers on a journey into a world of surreal visions, blending reality with the aesthetics of fairy tales, dramatic landscapes, and dark legends. She has developed her artistic career in Poland and Scotland. In Scotland she has become one of the country’s best-selling artists-illustrators. She was also named among Poland’s five leading female artists in 2016.
Anna Szczypczyńska
Originally from Warsaw, Anna Szczypczyńska is an author, blogger, and former journalist. For many years, she wrote for renowned magazines, including National Geographic Polska. She later made the Izera and Karkonosze Mountains her home, devoting herself to her literary career. Inspired by the region’s landscapes, history, and folklore, she began writing a series of children’s and young adult books set in the Karkonosze Mountains. Today, she is regarded as one of the rising stars of Polish children’s and young adult literature.
Author: Maja Wierzchowska
