"Teddy Bear in the Forest" , 30.5x21 cm, pastel
Jozef Wilkoń studied art history at the Jagiellonian University from 1950 (diploma 1954) and painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow in Prof. Adam Marczynski's studio (diploma 1955). Since 1957 he has specialized in illustration and book graphics. He has worked with many publishing houses in the country, including Nasz Księgarnia, Czytelnik, KAW, Interpress, and since 1963 also with foreign publishing houses, such as: Flammarion (Paris), Middelhauve Verlag (Cologne), Loewes Verlag (Bayreuth), Kinderbuchverlag (Berlin), Boehem Press (Zurich), Green Peace Publishers (Tokyo). After the imposition of martial law in Poland, the artist stopped cooperating with domestic publishing houses, henceforth publishing exclusively abroad. He is one of the best known and most awarded Polish illustrators. He has developed his own style based on extraordinary imagination and obedient painting skills. He uses a wide-spread stain contrasted with a graphic line.
