Jerzy Panek. Selected works
Exhibition of one of the most important Polish graphic artists of the 20th century, professor of the Academy of fine arts, winner of Jan Cybis prize and the gold medal at the New Delhi art triennial. His works are in the collection of MoMA - Museum of Modern Art in New York among others.
Jerzy Panek (1918-2001) Graduated from the Institute of Fine Arts in Krakow and the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow. He studied in the workshop of Professor Eugeniusz Eibisch, then in the workshop of Professor Zbigniew Pronaszka.
At the start of his artistic career, he taught painting and drawing at the art school in Sędziszów, where, as he will remember later, he learned the most.
In 1955, he graduated from the Academy and became one of the jurors of the famous "Arsenal" exhibition.
Panek's artistic vision was influenced by his trip to China in 1956. The artist said: "It was a shock, like a war, but different". In China, he was inspired by artistic techniques using wood. He also rediscovered paper, recognizing its texture and physical properties. He also learned to perceive black and white differently, to make them the colors that will dominate all of his work.
After returning to Krakow, he collaborated with Kantor for a short time in his theatrical productions, but this episode ended quickly after a bunch of misunderstandings. For many, they have been interpreted as clashes between two extremely strong personalities.
During this period, Panek mainly dealt with wood engravings and, in 1960, he became a member of the International Association of Wood Engravings "Xylon". A few years later, he began to cooperate with the "Literary Life" ("Zycie Literackie") in Krakow, where his works were reproduced. At the end of the 1960s, he devoted himself to working on the famous series "Hell" according to Dante.
In 1962, he met Józef Gielniak. This initiated the friendship of two artists until the death of Gielniak. During these years, Panek made many portraits of a friend.
In 1979 Panek participated in the exhibition "Self-portrait of the Poles" at the National Museum in Krakow.
He received the Jan Cybis award and the "Visual Arts" Association award for all of his achievements. He received the price from the Minister of Culture and Art and the gold medal at the New Delhi Art Triennale for the cycle "Self-portrait with a white hat".
He was an honorary professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow.
His work are mostly wood engravings, frequently inspired by naive and folk art.
Tygodnik Powszechny wrote on Jerzy Panek's artistic vision that "as much as the spirit of Hašek's Good Soldier Švejk as well as the awareness of the Apocalypse (...). This knowledge combined with intuition, joking with drama - creates the weight of this art and its clarity ... "
Dozens of works from different creative periods will be presented during the exhibition at the Gallery of Katarzyna Napiórkowska.
On the occasion of the exhibition, we will also present two paintings by the exceptional painter Andrzej Fogtt, who painted portraits of Jerzy Panek and Józef Gielniak.
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