Visually, the book is not too far from Hartwig's typical works from the 1960s. The difference, however, consists in a radical reduction to a single theme. Paradoxically, this situates the publication one shelf above his other, often quite eclectic publications. Wierzby (Willows) seems to be more deliberate, and hence more contemporary. On the other hand, however, one ought to remember that this was representative of Hartwig's later years of activity.
“Hartwig's landscapes often constitute a kind of enchanting spectacle, especially when he applies that silvery shade which makes the texture of trees and shrubs look as if woven out of angel hair, making for a remarkable natural decoration”, states an excerpt by Julia Hartwig, whose poetic phrases appear in the book, just like in her brother's earlier albums. Contrary to her bright and pure verses, Edward Hartwig proposes a rather dark nocturne. The initially declared link between willows and Polishness becomes diluted page after page. The photographs flow more and more freely towards formal improvisation. Subsequent images play with light, forms, and contrast, leading to an almost musical abstraction. The whole comes across as a gloomy, threatening, over-expressive, and far from idyllic vision of a landscape. It is rather a dramatic story about its end, and at the same time Hartwig's journey to the end of photography. There is nothing more that can be done with this theme and genre. However, this definitive tone makes Wierzby escape sentimentality and naive romanticism, characteristic of many tourist albums from the era.
With regards to publishing, the book is not as attractive as the author's earlier titles, which can be explained by the time of its production. Having been released in the last year of Polish People's Republic, the album is bound in an ordinary hardcover without a dust jacket, while the black areas occasionally lose a bit of depth.
* poem excerpt translated in Martin Price's article “Resonating with the Highway” in Quaderns d'arquitectura i urbanisme, no. 218 (1997): Rethinking mobility
photographs: Edward Hartwig
text: Julia Hartwig
graphic design: Tadeusz Pietrzyk
publisher: Sport i Turystyka, Warsaw
year of publication: 1989
volume: 226 pages
format: 21.5 x 24 cm
hardcover
print run: 20350