Frequently, the existential expression and tenderness with which Czapski portrayed his heroes became secondary to an energy and boldness of composition and a crisp combination of colours. In time the artist abandoned this formula, opting instead for an alternative approach in his landscapes, particularly those created in the last years of his life when he was slowly losing his eyesight and painting with ever-greater difficulty. During this time Czapski primarily created airy, calm landscapes which were expansive and painted freely and broadly (Pejzaż Złoto-fioletowy / Golden-Violet Landscape, 1980), and modest still lifes, usually constituting studies of the simple objects that surrounded the painter in his room at Maisons-Laffitte (Martwa Natura z Owocami i Karafką / Still Life with Fruit and Carafe, 1985; Dwie Białe Czarki / Two White Bowls, 1987). These may seem awkward, as if painted in a hurry, but they are an expression of Czapski's zealous faith in art and his creative determination. The intensity of experience reflected in them is comparable to that evident in the artist's drawings, which seem unskillful but are unpretentious and moving as a result. Some of these are completely autonomous works, others Czapski drew into his diaries or on letters. Woven into the rhythm of his handwriting, with the text they constitute a private chronicle of Czapski's life (hitherto published only in Polish in fragments as Wyrwane Strony / Torn Out Pages, 1993, and Wybrane Strony. Z Dzienników 1942–1991 / Selected Pages. Journals 1942-1991, 2010). The originals of Czapski's journals belong to the National Museum in Kraków.
The essays of the artist are similarly personal in nature (Oko / The Eye, 1960; Patrząc / Looking, 1983 and 1996; Czytając / Reading, 1990) and are broadly viewed as outstanding in terms of their literary value. Nevertheless, the significance of Czapski's achievements as a painter is still very much the subject of discussion and is often questioned, this despite the increased exposure his works have gotten over the last dozen years. This has occurred through numerous exhibitions (the first post-war exhibit in Poland was organized in 1956, the second not until 1986; subsequent to this date, however, there have been a number) and publications (the album Czapski edited by Joanna Pollakówna, 1993; an anthology titled Czapski i Krytycy / Czapski and the Critics, 1996).
In 2019, Eric Karpeles, a California-based painter and art critic, published the monograph Józef Czapski. An Apprenticeship of Looking.
Czapski himself wrote about his artistic career: