Polish art

[poppyfield]

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Hello Jaga, Pieter and all--
This is the first time I've ever joined a forum and have no idea how it works. At least I've gotten this far. Anyway, I've been searching for the past couple years to get any kind of information regarding an original woodcut print (dzeworyt) which I was very fortunate to buy - by Wladyslaw Skoczylas. It is of "Ondraszek" and printed in 1929, approx.23 x 33 mm. It does not have his personal, hand-written signature, only typeset title and name. We know it is printed from the original wood block because we can see the lines from the woodcut slightly embossed on (pressed into) the back of the sheet which is blank. The lines are very clean and delicate, the registration of colors is excellent. How can I send you the jpg file so you can see it? Would anybody out there know how unusual or rare this is, and would you have any idea concerning its value?

Also, at the bottom left is the date of printing and the word "Tecza". I believe this was a literary/art periodical of the late 1920' early '30's based near Poznan.

[Jaga]

poppyfield said:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hello Jaga, Pieter and all--
This is the first time I've ever joined a forum and have no idea how it works. At least I've gotten this far. Anyway, I've been searching for the past couple years to get any kind of information regarding an original woodcut print (dzeworyt) which I was very fortunate to buy - by Wladyslaw Skoczylas. It is of "Ondraszek" and printed in 1929, approx.23 x 33 mm. It does not have his personal, hand-written signature, only typeset title and name. We know it is printed from the original wood block because we can see the lines from the woodcut slightly embossed on (pressed into) the back of the sheet which is blank. The lines are very clean and delicate, the registration of colors is excellent. How can I send you the jpg file so you can see it? Would anybody out there know how unusual or rare this is, and would you have any idea concerning its value?

Also, at the bottom left is the date of printing and the word "Tecza". I believe this was a literary/art periodical of the late 1920' early '30's based near Poznan.

Hi,

welcome to the forum! Is it really Skoczylas? His art is very valuable.
You can send the jpg picture to my address:
[e-mail]

I can load it to our internet site so that all of us can see it. Nancy also can advice you how to have your own free internet website with pictures.

Here are some other examples of Skoczylas art:
www.biblioteka.info/grafika/sko.htm
www.z-ne.pl/kultura.php?pl1=galeria/skoczylas.htm

(click to see the image)

[nancy]

Pieter,

Are you speechless? I cannot see any text in your post.

[aadam]

Hello Poppy,
never heard about Skoczylas. Heard about 'Têcza', AFAIR it was 1920/1939 art periodical indeed, and a good one too! An artistic group of some kind was connected with it, or something like that. There was an exibition about modrenism in National Museum in Warszawa last year. Of course I've seen it, rememeber 'Têcza' but unfortunatly (brain arteriosclerosis I guess ) of course not muchhard data more. If you fail to find additional information elsewhere, google including, please do let me know - that's the kind of investigation I do like.
Welcome to the forum!

[pieter]

Nancy,

Yes, I was speechless for a moment, Silence is golden and speaking is silver a Duch saying says.

Pieter

[aadam]

pieter said:

Nancy,

Yes, I was speechless for a moment, Silence is golden and speaking is silver a Duch saying says.

Pieter

Pieter, I was very surprised when I first learned that it is the Dutch proverb indeed. I guess I thought that the ancient Romans or Greeks have invented it. But no! They myst have been to talkative

[pieter]

Adam,

I know that it is a Duch proverb, but I do not know wheather it is originally Duch. Now I hear the Claccisis you are (knowledge of latin, and maybe ancient Greek), it could be that it is Roman or Greek. We Duch and Europeans have lot's of expressions that come from Greek Mythology, Roman jurisdiction, and the aramaic, Hebrew and Greek biblebooks. Dutch id deeply influenced by the Duch bible translation of 1637 www.ned.univie.ac.at/publicaties/taalgeschiedenis/en/index.h m?staatenbibel.htm dutch-language.foosquare.com/ Next to that you have ofcourse Latin, German, French and English influences. When I see Polish texts it always seems more pure to me than my Dutch, because I see not that many foreign influences exept from a few German words, and no doubt also some Czech (Bohemian) and Russian influences. I don't know of the Luthuenian Balts had linguistic influence on Poland, due to the Polish-Lithuanian double monarchy. But that's another discussion. In Europe with it's many countries and boarders, countries influenced eachother deeply, and that's why Poland is more European than for instance Russia, who has less European boarders, and never was occupied by Germans and Austrians like the Poles were. And the Russians Poles had to deal with were European Russians from the West (European part) of Russia, Belarus or the Ukraine.

Pieter

[pieter]

The previous post was a picture of a painting I found via Haaretz English edition (daily newsletter), and I liked it. It reminds me of the past, of christmas stories you heard of the ancient city of the bible and ofcourse the Christian christmas and Easter.

[pieter]

Maybe it has nothing to do with Polish art (this threat's name), but the way of painting is an European tradition of Cezanne, Van Gogh which also influenced Polish painters and others. I like the composition and the colours.

Pieter

[rdywenur]

Me too Pieter. I see more of Cezanne in the content but the strokes are like that of Van Gogh. IMHO.

[pieter]

In Warsaw's National museum ( www.mnw.art.pl/ ) I saw great Polish romantic painters of the 19th century (very bright light, realistic, narrative of that time, portraying 19th century country life and portraits), and the 20th century. Near the old town in the ulica Krakowskie Przedmiescie I saw some good Modern galeries, and I liked the Zacheta galery of Modern art ( www.zacheta.art.pl/index.php?homepage=1&lang=2 ).

[pieter]

Unfortunately I did not made it to the Castle where Adam was talking about a few years back, csw.art.pl/ , this must be a great museum. That's for my next visit to Warsaw. Have any of you folks been there?

[bujno]

pieter said:

Unfortunately I did not made it to the Castle where Adam was talking about a few years
back, csw.art.pl/ , this must be a great museum. That's for my next visit to Warsaw.
Have any of you folks been there?

Pieter, that is a real pity. Especially that it is very near to ulica Górnoœl¹ska (The Upper Silesia Street) where I remember you've stayed.

I am flabbergaste by what you've provided here. Impressed by your vision of the role of artist! And by you as an artitst, too I like art and philosophy, but I am an amateur. I don't think I could provide any really valuable input here, perhaps just some thoughts of mine. But I am very looking forward to reading about your and others views. I don't think I have one philosopher I could call my favourite one. I would prefer to say that inside me there's a constant struggle between agnosticism and mysticism. You may find such an oposition very strange. But I can't help it, so it is! I greately appreciate and in fact rely on Thomas a Kempis and at the same time I appreciate Emanuel Kant very much. Out of Polish philosophers I am fond and esteem Henryk Elzenberg. My late discovery and fascination is Jakub Boehme. Of course I don't know all philosophers, but naturally there are some 'paths' I can say I am not fond of.
Thank you for having courage to present part of yours very world! I see you now as an artitst, I appreciate the meaning of your world-vision better and deeper!

[scatts]

I love Polish art and have created a gallery of the ones I like best (and could find pictures of on the web) here: www.pbase.com/scatts/artpolish

Only personal claim to fame is that we have a Dwurnik, but not one of the large ones. We have other stuff too, but not by anyone you will have heard of.

If you hunt around the galleries you'll also find many pictures of Poland.

[pieter]

bujno said:

pieter said:

Unfortunately I did not made it to the Castle where Adam was talking about a few years
back, csw.art.pl/ , this must be a great museum. That's for my next visit to Warsaw.
Have any of you folks been there?

Pieter, that is a real pity. Especially that it is very near to ulica Górnoœl¹ska (The Upper Silesia Street) where I remember you've stayed.

I am flabbergaste by what you've provided here. Impressed by your vision of the role of artist! And by you as an artitst, too I like art and philosophy, but I am an amateur. I don't think I could provide any really valuable input here, perhaps just some thoughts of mine. But I am very looking forward to reading about your and others views. I don't think I have one philosopher I could call my favourite one. I would prefer to say that inside me there's a constant struggle between agnosticism and mysticism. You may find such an opposition very strange. But I can't help it, so it is! I greately appreciate and in fact rely on Thomas a Kempis and at the same time I appreciate Emanuel Kant very much. Out of Polish philosophers I am fond and esteem Henryk Elzenberg. My late discovery and fascination is Jakub Boehme. Of course I don't know all philosophers, but naturally there are some 'paths' I can say I am not fond of. Thank you for having courage to present part of yours very world! I see you now as an artitst, I appreciate the meaning of your world-vision better and deeper!

Wojtek,

Actually that is a great pity yes, because the nice and hospitable daughter of the lady (friend of my mother where I stayed) told me about that place, but I did not knew that she ment the castle. I did not ask my guest host to show me how to get there. I am a shy person too, and was a bit embarassed how much the lady did for me, so I did not want to ask to much from her. But you could see it as a reason to come back to Warsaw, because I have to see the art castle and the Citadel, and want to see more art galleries. Adam wrote a very nice and indepth report about the art castle here, and that his children followed art classes there. I also read that they have studio's there and that guest artists are living and working there. That is a great concept for a Museum, Living art. Contemporary art must be about the Spirit of time, about what is happening today, and how artists see their time, what comment they have on that, and what their visions, ideas, sculptural language, Concepts, and (visual) stories are.

I try to explain what my motives are to make paintings, photographs and write things down. First of all in al these three mediums, I want to have a tool to communicate with fellow human beings, because you don't make a painting, photo or text/letter for yourself, you want to exchange something, a response. In the same time my things don't stand on themselves, they are a response in themselves on other artists, photographers, written thought of other people, and fellow Forum members. Although I am a shy person I value one on one contacts with other persons, and communicating with other individuals very important. You have to force yourself to communicate with others, because they are the source of information, give you information and knowledge of the time you live in. You have to live in the time you are born in and should not be stuck in the past. I learned a lot from conversations with others, with family members, friends, colleages and strangers. Discussions, listening to their stories, debates of others, participating in debates, interviewing people. I learned a lot from interviewing fellow artists and writing about them. Visiting their studios, talking about their work, education, backgrounds, inspirations, motivations, examples in art, their mediums, techniques (what camera's they used, what lenses, what role films, slides, prints or digital; what in their view the differance is between analogue and digital; many artists stil prefer analoge films).
And also to see what famous artists they like, what travels they have made, which museums they visited and what galleries they like. It is so nice to be invited to a studio of a fellow artist and to see many paintings and to hear the painter talking about it. I rent my studio in a home of two fellow artists, who are friends of mine (a couple with a baby girl). And they both show me their work regulary, and that's important to me.

This story above here was about the social aspect of being an artist, for the rest it is spending long lonly hours inside your studio, or outside it making the things you have to do. I appreciate the fact that you like art and philosophy, and it does not matter that you are an amateur. Because art and culture only exsists, because professionals and amateurs are both bussy with it. Art needs an environment, people who invent it, devellop it, implement it, think about it, make up theories about it, make art history (art historians), art critics, esayists, visionairy art thinkers like Clement Greenberg (1909 - 1994), Robert Hughes and some artists themselves, like David Hockney, Mike Kelly and Anselm Kiefer. I do believe you could provide really valuable input here, because that thoughts of yours are worth while. And you too have a vision, see things, experiance things, think about things, have your ideas, and like things and dislike things. I am very looking forward to reading about your and others views too. You haven't got to have one favourite philosopher, because there are many and you perosnal life experiance and thoughts are interesting too. Because you live in Warsaw, have studied, your work, read books, follow Polish politics and maybe politics abroad too, you see art (Polish and Foreign) and comment on that. That is interesting in itself, for the very reason of communication and exchange! That constant struggle between agnosticism and mysticism is interesting and not strange to me at all. I find people who does have no doubt unbelievable, because I am an ecclectic person, and maybe holistic too. I know the fight between atheism and religious thought and culture in me, where the rational me is atheist sometimes, but the emotional me can be very mystical Catholic (a personal brand of Catholicism, with Calvinist, Judaist, animist and Zen Buddhist infleunces). This Cosmopolitan condition humaine is essential for me to be open for new developments, and the art and culture which has no borders in my eyes. That constant struggle between agnosticism and mysticism is part of the interesting person who you are. A person who is in the same time very Polish, European and a citizen of the world. That is the complicated fact of being a human being today. Thomas a Kempis, Emanuel Kant, Henryk Elzenberg and Jakub Boehme are no doubt very interesting thinkers and people who contributed to the canon of Western philosophy and thought of today. Unfortunately I know only Thomas a Kempis and Emanuel Kant. I hope that you are willing what you think about those four thinkers and how they inspire you, or touch your mind. Please tell us the 'paths' you can say you are not fond of, because in the debate the antithesis is important. When you for instance do not like Nietsche or Sartre, this can be important in a philosophical discussion. That could be interesting. I must have the guts to present parts of my very world, because else my participation on a Forum is useless. You have to be honest about yourself and present your treu feelings or meening.

I see you now as an artitst, I appreciate the meaning of your world-vision better and deeper!

Thank you Wojtek, and you are welcome!

Pieter

Links:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clement_Greenberg
www.artcyclopedia.com/robert_hughes.html
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Studley_Forrest_Hughes
www.metropicturesgallery.com/index.php?mode=artists&object_id=7&view=bio
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anselm_Kiefer