CZWARTOS IGNACY, Holy Cross, 2015

oil on canvas, 50 x 60 cm, signed on the reverse 'IGNACY CZWARTOS | 2015 | YEAR'.

Ignacy CZWARTOS (born 1966)
Painter, draughtsman and illustrator, co-founder of the Krakow-based Otwarta Pracownia Art Association. His work is one of the most distinct and separate voices in Polish contemporary painting, building a unique bridge between the rigor of modern abstraction and the Polish Baroque. Czwartos masterfully reinterprets the coffin portrait form and Sarmatian aesthetics, imbuing them with contemporary existential sensibilities and historical reflection.
The artist, who is a disciple of Jerzy Nowosielski, has taken over from his master the attention to image construction and hierarchical composition, which he combines with a passion for analyzing Polish identity. His works - ranging from ascetic, almost geometric arrangements of color, to cycles dedicated to the "Soldiers of the Wyklęty" - are characterized by a reduction of unnecessary means of expression and a focus on the strength of the painterly sign. The selection of Czwartos as Poland's representative at the 60th Venice Art Biennale (exhibition as part of the accompanying events) confirmed his position as a key analyst of the national iconosphere, whose works are in major collections, including the National Museum in Cracow and numerous private collections at home and abroad.