Stanisław Samostrzelnik (c. 1490–1541): The First Polish Renaissance Painter Stanisław Samostrzelnik was a Polish Renaissance painter, miniaturist, decorator and Cistercian monk from Kraków, Poland. He stands as the first Polish painter whose name is known by historians who practiced in the Renaissance style—a pivotal figure bridging the Gothic tradition with the burgeoning artistic innovations of Europe’s elite circles. His legacy re…