Culture
PAINTED BY WATER... "Painted by Water" (Wodą malowane) is the title of a special publication, and of many exhibitions, dedicated to the works of JAN GOŁĘBIEWSKI. Underlying this title is the watercolour technique – the main form of expression Gołębiewski employs to depict his aesthetic experiences. Homeland landscapes are the central theme of his works, but he also paints portraits and architecture.
Maciej Proliński
J
an Gołębiewski was born in 1944 in Rembertów near Warsaw. Since 1945, he has been living in Pruszków, where he graduated from elementary school and the famous Tomasz Zan High School (another famous alumnus was the great Polish poet/songwriter Wojciech Młynarski). He has an unwavering need for painting – there is something romantic about it, as he does not support himself from painting. Actually, Jan Gołębiewski had training in firefighting. He retired from this profession in 1996 with the rank of Brigadier. At the Tomasz Zan High School in Pruszków, he had a wonderful drawing teacher – Professor Wacław Prusak (1891-1978). “The Professor graduated from the St. Petersburg Academy, like Henryk Siemiradzki, Stanisław Żukowski, and many other Polish painters in the Russian Partition, and the school provided excellent education in drawing and painting. My parents yearned for the spiritual dimension, instilling this desire in me from my early years. One of the paramount values cherished in my family home was the devotion to the Polish tradition of patriotism, including admiration for works by Artur Grottger and Jan Matejko. Professor Prusak instilled these values in me. I have adhered to them, I believe, for fifty years. When I am exploring the painting paths of Professor Prusak, similar creative impulses are awoken in me – sun, clouds, ponds, meadows, they have not changed much, and I hope they will not change for a long time,” stresses Jan Gołębiewski. The artist has showcased his works in dozens of solo exhibitions, including six times in Łazienki Park, Warsaw, four times in the Botanical Garden of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Powsin, twice in the Mazovian Centre of Metallurgy, Pruszków, and also in the Royal Castle, Niepołomice. Where does the inspiration for his highly coherent works of art come from? The answer is – the Polish landscape. It is the landscape of various Polish regions – the sea, the mountains, various seasons of the year, various
76 polish market
times of the day. “I am a keen nature observer, drawing sketches, and sometimes making watercolour interpretations of it. For I believe that painting is more than just imitation. Instead of making a copy of the landscape, I try to paint an impression of it. I travel all around Poland. I draw endless inspiration from the mountains, especially the Bieszczady Mountains. I am also fascinated by wooden architecture, which is slowly becoming a thing of the past. This is a shame, as it is an important part of our national history. Some time ago, I took on a new, quite formidable challenge – I started painting horses and flowers. To be honest, though, the choice of the theme is of secondary importance... What is important is the ‘approach’ to the theme, such as the ability to accurately capture the atmosphere,” the artist admitts. There is much serenity in these works; so much as to make you want to describe them in terms of... simple beauty – the feelings and the colours. “For Gołębiewski, the landscape is a medium through which he expresses in paint his sensitivity. He paints the revelations
he experiences. He wants to share these revelations with us. He needs someone to share these revelations with. He needs someone with whom his sensitivity can resonate. It is as if he were saying, in the words of Bruno Schulz, ‘Come in, let me show you my pictures,’” as interestingly put by Zofia Rosińska in the "Painted by Water" catalogue. “I am aware that the watercolour method is something like ‘painting acrobatics’ – it requires dexterity and agility, the ability to think and act fast. Still, I simply find it to be an exhilarating and perfectly natural experience... There is no room for martyrdom in this experience. Besides, it is with the watercolour method that you can make the most subtle of statements as a painter. You cannot create a 'watercolour narrative' in a soulless fashion... Light and shade play a special role in my watercolour paintings. I try to create a mood around them, but also to use them as a vehicle for a new, watercolour reality," Gołębiewski reveals, offering an intimate invitation to his world. A world of revelations and raptures. A world of subtlety. •