Jan Wysocki
Born 1964, lives and works in Krakow, Poland
“Between chaos and order, in a place where free, intuitive expression meets deliberate action, where coincidence meets intention, where the ‘volatile mists’ of our thoughts emerge from the depths of the unconscious, in the ‘light of the discriminating mind’ under the influence of some elusive force (will?, intention?, the WORD?) to take “specific” shapes that can already be recognized and named; in this space, at the intersection of abstraction and figurativeness, the painter Jan Wysocki finds a field for his artistic exploration.”
“I had the opportunity to catch a glimpse of the artist at work and follow the process of creating paintings, which is two-fold.
The starting point is usually a whole series of energetic, accidental, seemingly chaotic measures on canvas or other material (paper, plate, sheet) using acrylic paint of various densities and various painting techniques and tools (brushes, putties, sponges, etc.).
At this stage of work, it is important to limit all consciously made decisions, which boil down only to the choice of colour, paint density or the tool used. The process itself is based on a series of spontaneous painter’s gestures, intuitive microdecisions, which are not restrained by any ‘idea’, no attempts to control or the pressure of expectations.
The effect of this free painting expression is a purely abstract, non-representational painting with a very specific character and mood.
In the next stage of work, the artist integrates a figural motif into the painting; usually a single object, a human figure, a face or an animal, bringing the form only to the limits of recognition, trying to ensure that the shape and its abstract context remain in a certain dynamic balance.
Often this process of abstract ‘deconstruction’ and then consciously building a form is repeated many times until the desired effect is achieved.
For the artist, creating a painting is always a kind of experiment, and the confrontation of chance and purposefulness always includes an element of unpredictability and surprise, which constantly revives creative motivations and stimulates the imagination.”
“I have been collecting Jan Wysocki’s works since our first meeting in 2009, when I visited the painter in his hermitage workshop near Krakow. A vast compilation of the artist’s paintings is an important part of my collection. I greatly appreciate the beauty and hidden power of these works, and some of their understatement and the fleeting nature of their vision make me discover them again and again.”
About Art Refinery
Art Refinery is an art gallery and consultancy representing and promoting artists, who create original, compelling and exciting forms of art, working in a variety of media. We work with individual collectors, developers, architects and designers for art selection, procurement and installation for projects of all sizes and budgets.