Koty positions itself on the formalist margins of the political thaw, but, at the end of the day, it was created at a time when formalism smacked of revisionism. Visually, the album is impeccably composed, with expressive black and white contrasts. It almost looks like a kind of formal exercise in the spirit of early modernism. The book is also dynamically imposed and made out of effortlessly organized spreads. It is characterised by a sense of humour, expressed for instance in the introduction signed by Fafik the dog.
Koty is a beautiful album about nothing and at the same time a poignant camouflage. Photography was, for Styczyński and for other artists of his generation (Z. Dłubak, E. Lokajski, E. Haneman), a form of escapist practice, a reaction to the intense experiences of war (Styczyński was a member of the Home Army's intelligence unit), and later an escape from the political and artistic terror of Stalinism. When looking at this book through the prism of the photographer's later publications, it is worth noting that, despite collaborating with the biggest public publishers of the time, Styczyński consistently maintained an intuition for themes that were far from the official pattern of the Polish People's Republic 's tourist and propaganda albums. The unrightfully forgotten Styczyński created at least a few excellent photo albums (such as Ludzie areny/Circus People, 1975), out of which the most recognised thus far has been Wisła (Vistula, 1973). Photographs from that book were acquired by the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, as it followed the story behind one of Wilhelm Sasnal's famous paintings, based on a photographic portrait of Władysław Broniewski included in the book.
photographs: Jan Styczyński
text: Jan Styczyński
graphic design: Wiktor Górka
publisher: Sport i Turystyka, Warsaw
year of publication: 1960
volume: 120 pages
format: 27 x 21 cm
cover: linen hardcover with dust jacket
print run: 20 350
ISBN —