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Kasprzyk's paintings are about
relationships: the relationships between one person and another,
between a man and his dog or between the individual and his or
her surroundings, for example. In literary terms, while other
artists may be painters of the once-told short story, Kasprzyk
is the painter of the oft-told tale.
He paints the same stories many times
over, but always with subtle (or not-so-subtle) variations in
color, composition or mood. His characters are engaged in
trivial and often absurd activities juggling, chasing birds,
tight-rope walking or building human pyramids in the middle of
nowhere. As Polish art authority Wojciech Tuleya describes it,
"the characters in the pictures are very much involved with
them. Their earnestness gives rise to a sense of irony; we feel
that Mikolaj is winking at us."
Although his painting technique seems
19th century (and his characters practically medieval), there is
a contemporary composition in each painting and a familiarity in
his characters that make his paintings distinctly modern.
Mikolaj is a graduate of the Academy
of Fine Arts in Warsaw, where he taught for 12 years following
his graduation. He lives with his wife, artist Bogna
Gniazdowska, in Warsaw.
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| Giotti's Angel (2008) |
oil on linen
15 x 21 |
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| Zajaczek (2007) |
oil on linen
16 x 24 |
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| Morning (2008) |
oil on linen
15 x 21 |
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