Jan Tarasin

Jan Tarasin (born in 1926 in Kalisz, died in 2009 in Warsaw) - one of the most outstanding Polish contemporary artists, who developed his own formal language based on simplified signs and symbols.

He studied Painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow in the studio of prof. Zygmunt Rudnicki, Wacław Taranczewski and Graphics in the studios of prof. Andrzej Jurkiewicz and Konrad Strzednicki. As a second-year student, he took part in the 1st Modern Art Exhibition, and shortly after graduating, he was recognized as one of the best artists of the young generation in Poland. In 1962, he became a member of the 2nd Kraków Group, he also took up teaching activities at the Faculty of Interior Design in Kraków and at the Faculty of Painting in Warsaw (from 1987 to 1990 he was the rector of the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts).

Although Tarasin's art never broke away from figuratism, over time it succumbed more and more to the abstract style. The shift towards a new language took place especially in the 1960s, when the artist traveled to China and Vietnam on a scholarship. His compositions were greatly influenced by Far Eastern calligraphy and picture writing; the new series was presented on the international stage, including in the Netherlands and France. The second type of episodic works were reliefs using natural elements of nature, e.g. leaves. However, it was the signs that dominated Tarasin's artistic language: from the 1970s, this style was consistently developed by the artist. The artist focused on showing objects filtered by their own alphabet, emphasizing the relation between objects and their dynamics. The line between realism and abstraction was ephemeral: Tarasin moved away from real forms, only to come closer to them a moment later.

In 2005, the artist was awarded the Gloria Artis Gold Medal for Merit to Culture. His works can be seen in museums around the world. In addition to painting and graphics, Jan Tarasin also created photographs and was the author of essays on art.

He died in Warsaw in 2005.