Janusz Szpyt

Janusz Szpyt: "For me painting must be a complete art - including, of course, color values, content, space [...] An idea, conception which comes into existence in one's head is unattainable. One walks with it always and everywhere, with the tearing emotions. I am interested in universal themes, such as good and evil and if one touches these topics in a skillful way, it borders on magic. Staffage are a fashion, but they cannot be more important than what concerns the human nature. The human nature is timeless, fashions and tastes pass. ..." "Today my painting is directed to the man who has to solve his problems by himself, fight for his living. I believe that we are becoming a more and more atomized society. That is why the characters in my paintings are locked in the circle of their own problems, and nakedness, which often occurs in my works, is nothing else but rejecting this in which we hide." Janusz Szpyt Janusz Szpyt was born in Lubaczów where he currently lives and creates. He has been studying at the Faculty of Graphic Arts in Katowice of the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków in Jerzy Duda-Gracz's studio and then at the Faculty of Painting of the AFA in Kraków in the professor Włodzimierz Buczko's studio. In 1983 he collaborated with Piotr Naliwajko and Leszek Żegalski and created The Group of Three (Grupa Trzech), also called Snooty Trio (Tercet Nadęty). Brand New Wild Dadaists (Całkiem Nowi Dzicy Dadaiści), as they perversely called themselves in the published by themselves magazine "Bengal", published a manifesto in which they were calling to the truth in art connected with the value of form, color and technique, opposing widely dominating painting and media junk. "We want the painting to express the spirit of our times in the most possibly individual way, to be humanistic protest of thinking people against all possible signs of evil, to be continuation of our societies' traditions. We want to express that by the painting based on unity of composition, drawing and color, in a word PERFECT PANITING with an excellent knowledge of a technique [...]. "Numerous exhibitions organized at home and abroad by the Group were accompanied by artistic ferment finding its reflection in the press, radio and television. Janusz Szpyt's artistic work, comprising in the convention of realistic painting, may be divided into several thematic motifs. His shocking painting account of mental hospitals shows people in the extreme tired of bearing their lives. The artist dramatically defends it, what constitutes the essence of humanity - personal dignity of a man. "Christmas in the Mental Hospital" ("Boże Narodzenie w Zakładzie Psychiatrycznym")/ tarpaulin 290 x 340 cm, 1988. The sacral motif brings articles of faith up to date showing it, what is timeless and universal in a human's reality - the cycle of modern crucifixions "The Crucifixion" ("Ukrzyżowanie")/ tarpaulin 210 x 260 cm, 1989. / "The Sacrifice of Issac" ("Ofiara Izaaka")/ oil paints on canvas, 110 x 90 cm, 1989. / In his surrealistic paintings a man is still the central theme. The Orwellian climate of these works shows oppression and enslavement of individualities by the totalitarian system. They are emanation of the reality of martial law - the cycle of flying stoves (cykl latających pieców) "The Brother-in-law" ("Szwagier")/ oil paints on a plank, 120 x 100 cm, 1988. The consequence of these worldly and painting experiences was the attempt of ironic look on tragicomic existence of a man and on his problems. This kind of painting publicism is full of disparity and self-criticism towards what we consider important "Sisyphus" ("Syzyf")/ oil paints on canvas, 120 x 100 cm, 1996./ ?The Way to the Union? ("Droga do Unii")/ oil paints on canvas, 120 x 100 cm, 2004. As if in need of balance the artist looks for parallel classically understood beauty in family portraits "The Childhood" ("Dzieciństwo")/ oil paints on a plank. 55 x 46 cm, 2008./ landscapes - "Roztocze"/ oil paints on canvas, 30 x 40 cm, 2009./ nudes - "The Reading woman" ("Czytająca")/ oil paints on canvas, 69 x 86 cm, 2011./ and flowers - "The Lilacs" ("Bzy")/ oil paints on canvas 70 x 50 cm, 2010. The vital part of his artistic work is monumental sacred painting - The polychrome in the The Church of St. Stanislaw in Lubaczów. Janusz Szpyt perfectly illustrates the reality with the use of art, creates excellent records of human fate. The artist has thoroughly masters the technique, uses form and color with freedom, masterfully uses the light and the brush leads with virtuosity. The artist exhibits his works on joint and individual exhibitions at home and abroad. "Janusz Szpyt is a real personality in modern polish painting. Far from leaning towards aestheticism, he paints mainly nudes, nudes not only in a literal, but also in a metaphorical sense. Because the artist shows not only the physical nakedness of his models, but also their psyche, voicing the longed-for by the philosophers truth in the process. One could compare this individual painting to Lucien Freud's, the grandson of the great Zygmunt and one may wonder to what extent the psychoanalysis is helpful in perception of this output. However, without doubt Janusz Szpyt's paintings are the fruit of the superb knowledge of secrets of the painter's technique and very attentive observation of the world." Katarzyna Napiórkowska "... Janusz Szpyt's art is important at present and it will last in the future because it constitutes a link of the chain has created world heritage of painting from ancient history till nowadays and it is not a trick to become known, but it is the duration of art in time and in imagination of those, for whom all the great have been creating, Zurbaran and Goya, La Tour and Stanley Spencer among them. Namely all those, for whom the essence of artistic work has been constituted by universal and not coming under influences of time canons of art, and which we find in Janusz Szpyt's art. Let us take a closer look at this art, also because it constitutes a rare example of the tribute to universally and understood without prejudice Humanity by the Artist." Wiesław Ochman