May 15th - June 20th
Montreal-based, Polish artist Krzysztof Doniewski again stirs our emotional responses with his exhilarating painting style in his second solo show with Studio22.
The act of painting, for me, is a state of exaltation. I trick my conscious mind out of its habitual perceptions, by distraction, by amusement, by turning the canvas upside down or painting when the sun goes down and I can barely see the colours on my palette. I seek a certain vibration in a work of art, by working quickly. I like to feel a kind of aggressive reality, when beauty bursts with grace, or when stillness is euphoric and exhilarating.
How would I describe my style? Look quickly at my paintings, and you might think they lean towards impressionism. Notice the speed with which the strokes of the brush touch the canvas. But perhaps they are expressionistic, too, as I convey my state of being or my moods. And this gets me into trouble. How can I follow one mood over one painting? When one moment I am in this mood and the next moment I am in a completely different mood? I am not being consistent. I can’t be consistent. How do I consistently paint the mood when the mood changes? What is important is colour. And music. Perhaps I am a Fauvist, too
Born in 1957, Krzysztof spent his first 24 years in Kielce, a small industrial city between Warsaw and Krakow where authoritarianism prevailed throughout family and country. The Iron Curtain maintained its firm grip, and young Krzysztof bowed to the pressure of learning a trade by becoming an electrician. In 1981, Poland’s emigration policies suddenly relaxed, and Krzysztof fled for Austria. It was in Vienna that Krzysztof learned that Canada was recruiting trades people. His instructions were to arrive at the airport, where he would be handed a plane ticket, and a destination. Apparently, Red Deer, Alberta considered electricians to be a desirable commodity.
Canada sowed the seed of hope for a self-chosen destiny. By 1983, Krzysztof made the move towards his secret childhood love: Art. He enrolled at the Alberta College of Art, where pragmatic courses in graphic arts were soon eclipsed by a sudden passion for figure drawing. Exhilarated and inspirited by his work with models, Krzysztof began to galvanize all his energies into painting.
What follows was an explosion. Prolific is an understatement. Krzysztof produces over two hundred works in the span of several months. He experiments with colour, materials, style. By 1987, the vibrancy of Montréal draws him farther east, where he continues to paint with dizzying rapidity. Winters in Mexico and Costa Rica throughout the 90s and early 2000s fuel the artist’s appreciation of warmth, water, freedom, abundance and fecundity. Returns to the Old Country and his grandparent’s farm nurture Krzysztof’s love of simple people, lush countryside and an earthy existence. Connections in Kingston lead to several solo exhibitions in Ontario. After twenty years his approach to each canvas is with a fresh connection and a pure flow of energy. Unharnessed by concepts of style or the constraints of the rational mind, impulsivity and intensity are the Krzysztof trademarks.
Gallery Hours: Wednesday to Sunday afternoons 1 to 5 & Friday evenings 7 to 10. Anytime by appointment.
320 King Street E. - 2nd Floor
613-546-7461
Studio22 Open Gallery
320 King St. E. , Kingston, Ont.
613.546.7461
866.842.9895
.
s22.ca
No comments:
Post a Comment