In the last months of his life before his tragic passing during an excursion in the Tatra mountains, Wróblewski reached another formula of figurative painting. The surrounding world was no longer constructed of geometrical shapes or built by students belonging to the Polish Youth Academic Association. It was a world of internal tension, search and struggle with himself. Wróblewski was insightful commentator of the artistic life at the time, the author of numerous reviews and press articles devoted the art, with a distinct socialist message, with time he did not conceal his own disappointment with the socialist doctrine, hesitations and even entanglements. As he wrote in 1948, 'I want to go beyond myself, overcome myself, achieve the impossible, perform an exceptional task, fulfill a vision, create an absolutely convincing picture, to build it with my decisions'.
The title of the exhibition was inspired by the artist's notes from January 1948, which reference a consistent stance towards progress in evolving one's artistic style and one's subjects. The works exhibited include: Ukrzesłowienie (Chairificatin) (1956), Rodzina (Family) (1957), Syn z zabitą matką (Son with killed mother) (1949) or Rozstrzelanie poznańskie (Poznań fusillading) (1949), the exhibition will present works which are less frequently displayed. These include the painting Ślepa a la Velasquez (1956), gouaches on paper from the years 1956–1957.
The exhibition marks a marked revival of interest in the works of Andrzej Wróblewski in Poland and abroad. In 2010 the Dutch Van Abbemuseum hosted an exhibition of works by Andrzej Wróblewski, entitled To the Margin and Back.
Andrzej Wróblewski (1927-1957) was one of Poland's most outstanding and most independent post-war artists. He created his own individual, highly suggestive, and prolific formula of figurative painting that continued to inspire and became a reference point for several generations of artists who came after him.
The exhibition in Kraków has been organised in cooperation with Andrzej Wroblewski Foundation. It runs between the 21st of September 2012 - 13 of January 2013. For more information, see: muzeum.krakow.pl.
Editor: Agnieszka Le Nart
Source: MNK, Raster Gallery