When writing about Jerzy Tchórzewski’s art practice, it’s challenging to use basic concepts or rely on traditional categories from the history of contemporary art in an academic manner and fit the work of this extraordinary and multifaceted artist into rigid structures. It is even more difficult to outright dismiss his artistic achievements, for them not to strike an utterly tender chord, evoke emotion, amplify mindfulness, or enhance sensibility jostled by the presence of Tchórzewski’s works.
Against the backdrop of changes in the world’s and the country’s socio-political landscape, as well as vibrant shifts transpiring in the realm of modern art. In the 70s, Tchórzewski created nonfigurative artworks and later started to add figures.
The exhibition “Impatience of the Subconscious” at Wallspace Gallery, which opened on June 27th and will last until August 9th, presents almost fifty works by Jerzy Tchórzewski from the years 1948–1958, a period when the surrealist movement significantly influenced his views on form and matter. The influence of this movement is evident in the paintings and gouaches created during the post-war period, the era of prevailing Stalinism, and ultimately in the surge of misguided optimism for a change in direction after the Polish October in 1956.
Before we discuss the presentation, let’s recall the figure of Jerzy Tchórzewski himself.
Born in 1928 in Siedlce, he joined the Home Army (AK) during the occupation. After the war, he studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow under the tutelage of Zbigniew Pronaszka and Zygmunt Radnicki. His works were publicly displayed for the first time at the First Exhibition of Modern Art in Krakow alongside artists such as Erna Rosenstein, Tadeusz Brzozowski, Marek Włodarski, Tadeusz Kantor, Maria Jarema, Jan Tarasin, Andrzej Wróblewski, Kazimierz Mikulski and Jerzy Nowosielski. Tchórzewski was a member of the Group of Young Visual Artists established in 1946, which directly referenced to pre-war Krakow Group. In 1957, it was also reflected in the name itself (as it changed to the Second Krakow Group – editor’s note). At that time, Tchórzewski’s painting was clearly influenced by surrealism, the manifesto of which was proclaimed in the 1920s. His first paintings filled with figures evolved gradually and gained meaning. As a consequence, they grew into more complex and ambiguous compositions, while figurative representations were accompanied by eerie depictions, objects, and items originating from somewhere in-between dream and reality. He concentrated on creating surrealist canvases, painting his artistic visions freely without any constraint by anything other than his own imagination and subjective experience of the world. The most significant source of inspiration for the painter was life itself. Everyday observations sparked a detailed analysis of reality, marked by a nearly sublime precision in the structure, material, technique and form of the created artworks. Jerzy Tchórzewski’s art practice will increasingly focus on the physical aspects of painting, showing his keen interest in pigments and canvas par excellence. As the artist himself once said, the role of a painter is to “transform the passive plastic material into an organism pulsating with life.” He tinkered with layers of paint, by utilizing the natural drying time of individual pigments and, in the case of gouache paintings, the effect of soaked paper to create intricate multi-textured works.
The period between the 1940s and 1950s was formative for Jerzy Tchórzewski as an artist. He chose the direction for his practice and tendencies, which were flourishing throughout his work at that time, to explore until his final days. His initial fascination with in a single figure, which later evolved to include unconventional landscapes and human figures placed in distant, dreamlike metaphysical settings reminiscent of the surrealist art, was replaced by the completely abstract compositions which were expressive, rife with allusions and carried expansive figurative meanings. Ingenuity of form heralded by Tchórzewski signalled the emergence of wider tendencies in Polish modern art. Independent artists opposed socialist realism, as their art challenged the reality in which they lived. In 1995, Jerzy Tchórzewski took part in the National Exhibition of Young Polish Visual Arts titled “Against War – Against Fascism,” which was commonly known as the Arsenal (after the location – editor’s note). In a sense, the event was groundbreaking. Avant-garde artists made an open statement against not only socialist realism but also the tradition of pre-war colourists, presenting deformed shapes, bold and contrasting combinations of colours, simplifications, and complicated textures. The exhibition has been hailed by scholars and critics as crucial to the development of Polish contemporary art.
Late 1950s also saw the change in Jerzy Tchórzewski’s personal life. The painter moved to Warsaw, where he started giving lectures at the Academy of Fine Arts. Perhaps leaving Krakow, where he enjoyed the almost symbiotic relationship between visual arts and literature, contributed to his increased activity as an artist. His first solo exhibition took place in Zachęta in 1957. Subsequent larger exhibitions were held at the ZPAP Art Gallery on Marszałkowska Street in 1966, as well as the Krzysztofory Gallery in 1965. During this time, Tchórzewski traveled extensively abroad and collaborated with PHASES, the international movement of surrealist-oriented artists. His canvases were filled swiftly with exploding volcanoes, blazing stars and flames as quickly appearing as they were extinguished. All of this was showcased through a wide range of vibrant colours and unconventional textures. Jerzy Tchórzewski was the author of numerous paintings, gouaches, monotypes and linocuts. He was also interested in the literary language, not just the visual one. Occasionally, he wrote poetry (“Wieczny początek gwałtownej chwili”, a collection of poems from 1988-1996) and made friends with writers and poets. His life is clearly influenced by the writings of Tadeusz Różewicz and the poet himself, as evident from their preserved correspondence. Tchórzewski addressed both sacred and religious themes, showing a strong interest in transcendence, particularly in the 1970s. He never abandoned references to subjectivity, dealt with absolute abstraction, allowed the creative process to take him by surprise, unearthed mysteries, the mystery of creation. In 1984, he received the Jan Cybis Award from the independent Association of Art Historians for his overall artistic achievements. Jerzy Tchórzewski died in 1999 in Warsaw. He is a prominent figure in the history of art, remembered as an artist who discovered a new language of artistic expression based on experimenting with form and material in and of itself.
Recently, art historians have revised the outlook on Jerzy Tchórzewski’s paintings by recognising his strong connection to surrealism and linear abstraction, particularly in the mid-20th century. Taking part in the Arsenal exhibition, he was already a self-proclaimed fully formed artist. Considering his entire artistic journey, the 1948–1958 period, which the presentation in the Wallspace Gallery focuses on, seems particularly fascinating.
Mariusz Szewczyk, curator of the exhibition “Impatience of the Subconscious,” describes the show as follows:
“The concept for the exhibition of the artworks by Jerzy Tchórzewski has been developing over several years through acquaintance with the artist’s son, Krzysztof Tchórzewski. I wanted to showcase the works from a period that has been recently overlooked, as most exhibitions have focused on his practice in the 1960s and 1970s or the late 1980s. In my opinion, works from the years 1948–1958 are incredibly fascinating and fully represent Tchórzewski’s artistic journey towards the characteristic form of the upcoming decades of his activity. We can already see the artist’s unique style in the painting “Efflorescence (Untitled)” from 1957–1959.”At the same time, my intention was to evoke the surrealist foundation of this artist’s work. The year 2024 marks a hundredth anniversary of the publication of “Manifeste Du Surréalisme” and “Seconde Manifeste Du Surréalisme” by André Breton, along with the postulated crisis of consciousness. In light of new research and the approach of art historians, the narrative around the question whether Polish artists could be considered surrealists appears to have shifted. So far, the subject has been avoided, and there was a conviction that one couldn’t possibly speak of surrealist practice in the context of the art scene in Poland.”
“In the text published in the exhibition catalogue, Dorota Folga-Januszewska maintains that the optics have changed owing to the social, political and technological events of the last decade. And in that period, Tchórzewski made works in the vein of surrealism. He was a member of the international Phases group founded by Édouard Jaguer. In the 1960s, his work was recognised by the wife of André Breton. A well-received exhibition opened in her Fürstenberg Gallery in Paris, where Tchórzewski’s works were seen by André Breton himself. While we were working on the exhibition, it turned out that this period is well-documented thanks to the artist’s notes and his literary work. We could explore his connections with other outstanding avant-garde artists from that time,” said Szewczyk.
“The exhibition showcases paintings that have never been displayed before (“Self-Portrait with a Cockerel” and “Fantastic Landscape”), alongside those that were part of a joint art show by Jerzy Tchórzewski and Alina Szapocznikow held at Zachęta in 1957 (“Composition I (Struggle)” and “Turned into a Tree”). Additionally, it includes the paintings that were exhibited at Fürstenberg Gallery in Paris (“Against the Light”, “Figure”, “Composition” and “Anxiety”). The presentation is organised to group paintings together, highlighting correlations and influences. The spatial aspect of the exposition is evident in the frames recreated from the initial environment established by Fangor and Zamecznik in 1958. Tchórzewski and Fangor were very close during that time.
He was highly sought-after. Both surrealists and abstractionists urged him to join their ranks. Tchórzewski himself often admitted that he drew on the rich artistic catalogue created while he was actively making art. However, in conversations he shunned definitive labels. He perceived art as enlightenment, impulse, illumination, a kind of response to the questions raised by established reality and himself. Jerzy Tchórzewski’s paintings are intense, energetic, and rich in contrasts. They are vivid, going beyond the limits of what can be captured by clearly defined concepts , disrupting any sense of logical order. It astonishes and brings constant delights. Each interaction allows one to discover something new.
Impatience of the Subconscious. Jerzy Tchórzewski
27 June – 9 August 2024
ul. Foksal 15/1B, 00-366 Warsaw
