Zdzisław Beksinski - master of dark thoughts

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Poland is historically known as the birthplace of great scientists and the cradle of scientific discoveries; however, historians and art historians have undeservedly deprived their attention of the formation of the fine arts of Poland. This can be easily explained by the fact that during the Renaissance, as well as at a time when such artistic movements as Impressionism, Art Nouveau and Dadaism were developing in Europe, which, in turn, gave rise to many other styles, Poland found itself on the periphery of the art world. Nevertheless, the twentieth century was the heyday of the cultural life of this state, and the Polish artist Z. Beksinski, who has become almost an icon of the post-apocalyptic, is proof of this.

Zdzislaw Beksinski: biography and creative development

The artist was born on February 24, 1929 in Sanok, a small Polish town where he spent his childhood. In 1955, after completing his studies in architecture in Krakow, Beksinski returned to his hometown, where he began working as a foreman at a construction site. The hated work prompted the future artist to search for ways of creative self-realization: it was during this period thatBeksinski is fond of photography, painting and sculpture in plaster and wire. Even then, the main characteristic features of the artistic manner that filled all the paintings of Zdzisław Beksiński were manifested - attention to the smallest details and details, the image of bumpy surfaces, wrinkled faces distorted by suffering, as well as a metaphorical projection of individual experience on canvas or in sculptural form. The figurative series is gloomy - broken figures, mutilated and faceless dolls, withered landscapes.

Development of Zdzisław Beksinski as a painter

The first paintings of the artist, despite the presence of clear forms and images, gravitated towards abstract art, but this period was short-lived. In the sixties, Beksinski was imbued with one of the main principles of surrealism - trust in your dreams and turning them into the main source of creative inspiration. Nevertheless, the artist's searches were not stopped at surrealism, no matter how fertile its soil was for the embodiment of the most painful and secret phantasmagories. Until the end of the eighties, a "fantastic" period began in Beksinski's work. It was then that the most recognizable images were created, inscribed in the canvas of post-apocalyptic reality: all-consuming decay, death and chaos reign on the artist's canvases. Almost all the paintings of this period are painted on large canvases, which makes the viewer even more impressed: the picturesque space almost absorbs and draws you in.

Towards the chronological end of the "fantastic" period, the artist's work became more ascetictechnically, numerous details disappeared, the color scheme became almost monochrome, which, however, did not affect the expressive power of the canvases. Some time later, Zdzislaw Beksinski mastered the principles and features of various computer graphics techniques and worked with various graphics programs almost to the end of his days.

The artist himself divided his creative style into two types: baroque, in which detailing and figurative saturation predominate, and gothic, where special attention is paid to form. It is easy to guess that the gothic style prevailed in the latest works.

Zdzisław Beksinski endowed his works with another unusual feature: there are no paintings with names in his creative heritage. Beksinski never gave names to his canvases, allowing the viewer to immerse himself in a gloomy world and reflect on the individual experience gained from the experience of contemplating it.

Recognition and worldwide fame

The originality and stylistic originality of the artist won him worldwide recognition. The debut exhibition in Warsaw took place in 1964, bringing the artist not only fame, but also material success - all paintings were sold out.

A little later, in the eighties, Zdzisław Beksinski became popular in Western Europe, the USA and Japan.

However, despite the success and recognition of the public, he did not lose his critical attitude to his work: in the late seventies, on the eve of moving to Warsaw and the heyday of the exhibitionactivity, the artist destroyed many canvases, explaining that he considered them unsatisfactory and inexpressive.

The world of inner experiences Zdzislaw Beksinski

It is still unknown, under the influence of what passions and experiences, the artist's brilliant canvases were born, saturated with the aesthetics of pain, horror and absurdist madness, characteristic to the same extent only of Beksinski's compatriot, writer Sigismund Krzhizhanovsky.

Acquaintances and friends of the artist noted his benevolence and cheerful disposition, while Beksinski himself found some of his works "fun". However, it is known for certain that, despite his mild nature, he did not shy away from the philosophy and tendencies of sadomasochism - he mentioned this in letters, and also devoted a series of graphic works to this topic.

However, in the late nineties, the artist experienced difficult times: in 1998, his wife Sofia died of an illness, and a year later, his son Tomasz, a well-known music columnist, committed suicide. Beksinski never came to terms with this loss.

Death of a creator

The artist died tragically at the age of 75 on February 22, 2005 - killed by teenagers whom he refused to lend money to. His body, with traces of multiple stab wounds, was found in a Warsaw apartment.

The huge pictorial and graphic heritage of Zdzisław Beksinski is still the artistic heritage of both Poland and the whole world; copies of his paintings are oftenare used as album covers for metal bands, and the Polish editions of albums by the industrial formation The Legendary Pink Dots were designed using them after the death of Tomasz Beksiński, a former fan.