Eugeniusz Zak belongs to a circle of artists who, in times of a modernist and avant-garde search for a new style of a painting, turned back towards tradition. Zak completed his academic studies in Paris at the atelier of Gerome and Bessnard, and at Ažbe's atelier in Munich. Such a solid academic background most often accounted for the painter's dedication to contour line and clear drawing, particularly in the early days of his career. Apart from his studies at the academic studios, Zak's private visits to museums played an essential part in shaping his artistic approach. It was at Louvre in Paris and at Pinakothek in Munich that he was first introduced to the works of the Old Masters - Dürer, Holbein and the Clouets. The artist continued his private studies at the museums during his stay at Rome and Florence where he studied the paintings of Botticelli and Leonardo. Zak's attitude towards the past and his desire for exposure to the works of art of the Old Masters were a response to Maurice Denis' artistic call for "return to order", or the pursuit for the formula of modernity through studies on the artistic tradition.
Pierrot, Zak's painting depicting a dancer is a perfect example of how various inspirations integrate to form a coherent painting style. Its forms are greatly simplified. The limited use of chiaroscuro and moulding, as well as flattened areas of colour are the influence of Synthetism. Their second important feature is a strong stylisation joined with the desire for decorativeness. It becomes most apparent in the dancer's charming and graceful pose which brings to mind the painting of Boticelli. The dancer stands in a refined pose with his legs crossed and one hand placed on the hip while his head is turned away. The decorative effect is intensified by both the dancer's subtle tiptoe stance and a refined delicacy of a gesture of holding a pipe in his other hand. The elongated and sophisticated body proportions, in particular of his neck, legs and hands, are full of grace. The pointed hat, shoes and the arranged drapery emphasize them even more. The charm of this figure seems somewhat artificial, as if it was more of a puppet than a living human being. It brings to mind Heinrich von Kleist's statement from On the Marionette Theatre that marionettes possess such charm and grace, which is not available to humans. The impression of artificiality is intensified by a deformation and simplification of the figure's face, characterised by the elongated face oval; thin and long eyebrows; and narrow, almond-shaped eyes which make the impression of hollow clefts. The unreal, anonymous face looks like a mask.
Another prominent element of the work is its colour palette. Dancer makes a good example of the artist's departure from the delineation technique: the contour merges into the colour areas. The moulding seems subtler as well. The colour scheme changes; it is dominated by brick reds, dim greens, faded violets and greyish yellows. Similarly to the simplified forms, the colours are the effect of not only the fascination with the primitive but also with the oeuvres of the great masters from the past. Zak expressed this idea as follows:
"One should not have resentment for demolishing or creating something. There are no inventions in art. Art does not belong to yesterday, today or tomorrow - it belongs to all time... the only artists which are worth surviving are those who go beyond the ruthlessness of classification, beyond childishly passionate discussions-programmes, beyond 'à tout faire' formulas and who directly build upon the great traditions of humanity."
In his works of art, the modern was constantly made ancient, and the ancient modern; while by the ancient art one should understand not only Greco-Roman art but the art of the Renaissance as well. This issue also appeared terms of his iconography of choice, in numerous depictions of fishermen and shepherds derived from arcadian and idyllic themes, which appear both in the paintings of the Old Masters such as Poussin, or Lorraine, and in the contemporary paintings of Matisse, or Denise.
Around 1919 or 1920, the repertoire of Zak's themes changed; there started to appear wanderers, gypsies, drunkards over a glass of absinth, beggars in front of the church. Dancers dressed up as arlequins or pierrots appeared on his paintings as well. These new themes were juxtaposed with the blue and rose periods in Picasso's career, which may be apt to the extent that in their themes Zak's paintings followed the style of Miserablism common at that time in the European culture. Then, the mood of melancholy or a gentle lyricism identified with alienation, or even fear of life was very characteristic. It was supposed to express the attitude of escapism; the escape from the present into the world of art represented by the lyrical violinists, mandolin players, or dancers.
Sources:
- Artur Tanikowski, "Analiza dzieła Eugeniusza Zaka" / "The Analysis of the Oeuvre of Eugeniusz Zak", Warszawa 1994;
- "Eugeniusz Zak 1884-1926", exhibition's catalogue, The National Museum in Warsaw, ed. Barbara Brus-Malinowska, Warszawa, 2004.
Author: Magdalena Wróblewska, December 2009.
Translated by: Katarzyna Różańska, August 2010.
