A self-taught painter – artistic individualist, always following his own, unique artistic paths that often take him to the picturesque landscapes of Roztocze, a common theme in his painting. He thrives on colour and light – often playing and experimenting with both. But this thematic experimentation always remains faithful to the adopted artistic convention – be it a landscape, still nature, figurative composition, portrait, or flower composition, all of which have been long standing themes of his artistic endeavours. His keen eye takes in the surrounding world and projects in onto large and very large canvas formats. He paints in the safety of his own studio/gallery. The building is hard to miss when sightseeing the historic centre of his home town of Szczebrzeszyn. The atelier – gallery is situated amidst three temples. Itself a “temple of art”, it is a picturesque complement to its solemn, centuries-old neighbours: a 16th c. synagogue, 17th c. Orthodox church, and 17th c. Catholic monastery. The windows of the master’s studio allow an unhindered view of all three, as well as much of the town surrounding them.
FIDDLER ON THE ROOF
FIDDLER ON THE ROOF on 170 x 110 cm canvas. Directly in front of the viewer, whose perspective suggests standing on the roof as well, an elderly, well built man is dancing, his belly protruding in front of him. He is wearing a white shirt, black waistcoat, and a black, Jewish cap. In his left hand he sports a bow, in his left a fiddle. His unshaven face is lit up with a smile. The dancer is balancing near the top of a steep roof topped with an electric pole :-), which creates a sense of danger. But Tefi the Milkman pays no heed to the risk. Two women standing below look up in terror, clutching their heads. A group of children lean out of a nearby school’s window, clearly delighted with the Milkman’s madness:-).
The painting depicts a panorama of Szczebrzeszyn: the synagogue with an additional vestibule (a semi-circular building of white stone with tiny windows) is visible in the background, as well as a number of rooftops with a variety of tiling styles and in various shades of muddy red. Diverse silhouettes of other buildings can also be seen as they vanish into the distance. On the left-hand side – a church; on the right an Orthodox temple. The sky over Szczebrzeszyn is stormy: rays of sunshine breaking through to highlight the figure of Tefi the Milkman and the surrounding architectural diversity. Behind the buildings, the scarcel hinted fields reach the horizon / the edge of the painting.
Wiktoria in the workshop
The 180 x 80 cm painting from Cycle 2 is entitled “A Short History of a Town in the East”.
In the foreground we see a girl sitting in an armchair. Somewhat lost in thought, she is holding an accordion and trying to play it. Behind her, on the right, we see a table and a sculpted head, on the left a fragment of a doorway. Further behind, a roof, a water ouzel, and a studio. Behind it, thuyas and a high-voltage pylon apparently ready to collapse onto a bungalow. In the background a brick tenement house and a church, followed by green space all the way to the horizon. The colour palette of the painting is warm, honeyed.
