October 19th, 2024

Happy Saturday! And we tick another week off the march to the end of the year. I kind of wish I could slow things down a bit, I’m not ready to be so close to 2025. I think that’s because I haven’t done everything I wanted to do this year and there’s not enough time to cram it all in. Maybe you’re feeling that too, or maybe you’re better at planning and executing on those plans than I am 😄 Another reason is I will most likely be changing positions at the day job soon and taking over a different team in my current department. While I will still be a people leader, it will be a much smaller team of salaried employees with more of a project manager role. I’m looking forward to it, but I know it’s going to occupy more of my time and it’s going to be a hectic few months to get projects done by the end of the year. But I will be able to take on more technical work and that’s where my passion lies when it comes to what pays the bills.

This week let’s jump on in and learn about another great artist from Europe and one that I’ve enjoyed referencing in my own AI art for years.

Artist Spotlight - Zdzisław Beksiński (1929-2005)

Career

Zdzisław Beksiński was born on February 24, 1929, in Sanok, a small town in southeastern Poland, in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains. His family was middle class, and his father, Stanisław Beksiński, was a civil engineer. Beksiński's mother, Stanisława, was a homemaker who supported her son’s early interest in art. He had a relatively quiet childhood, though his upbringing was overshadowed by the trauma of World War II.

During his childhood and teenage years, Beksiński was interested in drawing and sculpting, but his early artistic expressions did not suggest the dark and surreal imagery for which he would later become known. His formative years were marked by the grim realities of Nazi occupation and the later Soviet control of Poland. These experiences would influence the tone of his work, as themes of death, fear, and destruction became central to his artistic vision.

At the behest of his parents, he pursued a more practical career and enrolled in the Kraków University of Technology in 1947 to study architecture. He graduated in 1952 with a degree in architecture, but he found little satisfaction in his work as an architect. His few attempts at pursuing a career in architecture were unremarkable, and he quickly realized that his true passion lay in the visual arts, which he began exploring more seriously in the early 1950s.

Beksiński’s early forays into photography and sculpture in the 1950s showed an experimental approach to both mediums. His photography often featured deformed figures, distorted faces, and eerie, almost hallucinatory compositions. He captured images that were unsettling, evoking an atmosphere of disquiet and tension, which was a stark contrast to the more traditional approaches to photography at the time. His photographs had a macabre quality, a precursor to the dark themes that would dominate his later paintings.

His early sculptures, often made of materials like metal and wire, were similarly unsettling. He created abstract, grotesque figures with twisted, organic shapes that resembled decaying bodies or disfigured forms. These early works demonstrated his fascination with decay, deformation, and the grotesque, themes that would become central in his future paintings.

In 1951, Zdzisław Beksiński married Zofia Stankiewicz, and together they had a son, Tomasz, born in 1958. His marriage to Zofia provided a stable domestic life, even as Beksiński’s artistic visions grew darker. Tomasz, who would later become a well-known Polish radio DJ and film translator, had a close but complicated relationship with his father. Tomasz's troubled emotional state and eventual tragic death by suicide would profoundly affect Beksiński later in life.

By the late 1950s and early 1960s, Beksiński had turned his attention to painting. His early works from this period were abstract but became increasingly focused on surreal, dystopian landscapes and grotesque figures. His visual imagination took on a more profound and disturbing form, as he created intricate, decaying worlds populated by skeletal figures, bizarre creatures, and decayed architectures.

The 1960s marked the first significant period of recognition for Beksiński. His first major exhibition, held in Warsaw in 1964, was a critical success and established him as one of Poland's most talented and unique painters. The exhibition featured his early, fantastical paintings, which were marked by their unsettling themes and meticulous detail. Despite the dark nature of his work, audiences were captivated by his technical skill and the raw emotional power of his art.

Beksiński’s works from the mid-1960s to the late 1980s are considered part of his "fantastic period," where his painting style reached its full maturity. His paintings from this time are characterized by vivid, surrealistic landscapes filled with decaying figures, post-apocalyptic environments, and haunting imagery that suggested themes of death, decay, and the passage of time.

During this period, Beksiński’s attention to detail, use of oil on Masonite, and exploration of light and shadow drew comparisons to Hieronymus Bosch, Francisco Goya, and Salvador Dalí. He explored the boundary between reality and nightmare, bringing viewers into dark, dreamlike worlds where the line between life and death was blurred.

Despite the deeply disturbing and macabre content of his work, he claimed not to attach any symbolic meaning to his paintings. He often insisted that his work had no specific message, leaving interpretation entirely up to the viewer. This attitude further deepened the mystery surrounding his art, as his works, though deeply emotional, seemed to resist any clear narrative or moral.

In the 1970s, Beksiński’s reputation began to spread beyond Poland, particularly in Western Europe and the United States, where his work was increasingly appreciated by collectors and galleries. He became known for his ability to depict the grotesque and the surreal with masterful detail, drawing the viewer into his dystopian visions. His work also appealed to the growing interest in dark fantasy and surrealist art during this period.

As he entered the 1990s, his style evolved from the highly detailed, apocalyptic imagery of his fantastic period to more abstract works. These later paintings often featured bold, fluid shapes and more vibrant colors, but they retained the ominous tone that had defined his earlier work. The subject matter became less literal, moving toward a more abstract exploration of form, texture, and mood.

Despite this stylistic shift, the emotional intensity of his paintings remained, reflecting the deepening isolation and melancholy in his personal life. His wife, Zofia, died in 1998, and just a year later, his son Tomasz committed suicide, an event that devastated Beksiński. The loss of his son, with whom he had a close but complicated relationship, deeply affected him, and his later works became even more introspective and emotionally charged.

In 2005, tragedy struck once more when he was murdered in his Warsaw apartment by Robert Kupiec, the teenage son of his caretaker. The murder was the result of a petty argument over a loan Beksiński had refused to give Kupiec, and the artist was stabbed multiple times. He was 75 years old.

Beksiński’s violent death came as a shock, not only because of its brutality but also because it seemed eerily reminiscent of the dark, violent imagery found in his own art. His death brought an end to a life marked by personal hardship and creative genius.

Contributions to the Art World

Beksiński is best known for his contributions to dystopian surrealism, where his paintings depict haunting, nightmarish worlds filled with decaying figures, crumbling landscapes, and skeletal beings. These post-apocalyptic environments evoke both awe and terror, pushing the boundaries of surrealism and exploring the darker side of the human psyche. His unique ability to render the grotesque with stunning technical detail made his work stand out in a world that often shied away from such bleak and unsettling imagery.

His art dives deep into existential themes, confronting the viewer with the fragility of life, the inevitability of death, and the often chaotic and terrifying nature of existence. His focus on decaying, skeletal figures and desolate landscapes made these themes highly visible, providing a visual language for the anxiety and fear surrounding human mortality. His works give voice to universal fears about the human condition—our vulnerability, our isolation, and our impermanence.

Beksiński’s nightmarish vision and exploration of dark themes have left a lasting mark on dark fantasy and horror aesthetics in popular culture. His paintings have influenced a wide range of contemporary artists, filmmakers, and writers in the realms of fantasy, horror, and science fiction.

He also defied the conventions of the art world by refusing to explain his art or provide titles. He viewed art as a deeply personal and subconscious process that did not require intellectualization or rationalization. This was a significant departure from much of contemporary art, where symbolism or narrative meanings are often provided by the artist.

Style

One of the hallmarks of Beksiński’s style is his depiction of decayed, skeletal figures. These human-like forms, often wrapped in tattered shrouds or depicted in various states of decomposition, are placed in surreal environments that evoke a sense of death, decay, and existential dread. These figures seem trapped in their landscapes, part of a decaying world that is both alive and dead.

His fascination with post-apocalyptic settings reflects his concern with death and the passage of time. His landscapes often appear barren, populated by alien ruins, crumbling structures, and desolate fields. These settings give his work a timeless, otherworldly quality, suggesting a world long after civilization has collapsed.

Many of his forms are not simply human or mechanical but take on organic qualities, as if they are decaying or mutating. Figures are often distorted, their flesh melting or morphing into the surrounding environment. This deformation evokes both a sense of transformation and decay, a central theme in his work.

Beksiński’s most famous paintings were created using oil paint on Masonite boards, a surface he preferred for its smoothness and durability. Masonite allowed him to create highly detailed works with intricate textures, smooth transitions between colors, and subtle gradations of light. This medium also enabled him to build layers of paint, giving his works a sense of depth and richness.

He often started his paintings without a clear plan or specific theme. This method, similar to automatic drawing used by the Surrealists, allowed him to let his subconscious guide the creative process. He would begin with abstract shapes and forms and allow the composition to evolve organically, a process that enabled his work to retain its fluid, dreamlike quality.

In the final decade of his life, Beksiński began experimenting with digital art, using computer graphics to create abstract compositions. This period marked a departure from his traditional methods, but it demonstrated his willingness to explore new technologies and techniques. His digital works maintained the same eerie, surreal qualities as his paintings, though they often leaned more toward abstraction.

Influences and Lessons

Beksiński's art shares many thematic and stylistic traits with the Surrealist movement, though he wasn’t directly associated with it. Like many surrealists, he was interested in the subconscious, dreams, and the irrational.

Max Ernst’s collages and paintings often combine strange, dreamlike imagery with a sense of menace, making him an important figure for Beksiński. Ernst’s ability to evoke a sense of the grotesque through surrealistic imagery would have resonated with Beksiński’s desire to explore dark, subconscious fears.

Salvador Dalí’s technical skill, combined with his surrealistic and bizarre imagery, influenced many contemporary artists, including Beksiński. Dalí’s interest in creating hyper-realistic depictions of dream-like or nightmarish scenarios echoes Beksiński’s own fascination with creating otherworldly yet eerily familiar environments.

Beksiński’s method of starting without a fixed plan and allowing his subconscious to guide his work emphasizes the importance of intuition and spontaneity in the creative process. His approach teaches artists to let go of rigid control and allow the work to evolve naturally, which can lead to unexpected and deeply personal outcomes.

By refusing to title or explain his works he allowed his paintings to become an open dialogue between the artist and the viewer. This teaches the value of letting your audience bring their own experiences and interpretations to your art, allowing for a deeper and more personal engagement.

Style Representation

Collectors Corner - nad-nfts, organics & eirrann.eth

Final Thoughts

We could use some good vibes, prayers or whatever you believe in next week. My stepson is undergoing intestinal surgery on Monday to remove an inflamed part of his colon to prevent future complications from Crohn’s disease. We’re told it should be straightforward and he’ll be able to come home after a day or two in the hospital, but the surgery definitely has risks and if something goes wrong it could be a longer stay. We’re hoping for a quick recovery so he can get his 18 year old life started, being able to work and live without stomach pain.

As always, if you enjoyed this edition I would really appreciate if you shared it. Just hit the share button below. And if you’re not following me on X yet, I’d love to follow you back. I’m also on Warpcast!

On that note, I’ll leave you with a quote that reminds that no matter what happens today, tomorrow can bring hope:

Enjoy your weekend, friend!

P.S. If you have feedback I’d love to hear it! A reply to this email goes directly to me.

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