The Present, the Contemplative, the Creative: On the Manifestations of Light in the Contemporary Polish Abstract Painting

Agnieszka TES

Instytut Kulturoznawstwa, Wydział Filozoficzny, Akademia Ignatianum w Krakowie, ul. Kopernika 26, 31-501 Cracow, Poland , Poland

Abstract

The problem of light in contemporary Polish abstract painting has heterogenous aspects. Light is explored in its natural, physical state by artists who develop new formal qualities in their artworks, but there is also a tendency to reveal the spiritual dimension. I analyze some of the most representative examples of the usage of light in its metaphysical meaning. It would be impossible to present the full panoply of this tendency, which is why I have chosen to focus on four cycles of artworks by recognized Polish painters: Adam Brincken, Stefan Gierowski, Tadeusz G. Wiktor and Władysław Podrazik. I examine the specifics of treatment of light in each case and I try to emphasize the religious, philosophical or spiritual basis for it. In the paintings one can find original interpretations of the biblical, Neoplatonic or Orthodox traditions, which is combined with personal experiences of the artists. What also interests me is the connection between the archetypal symbol of light and its contemporary form and expression.

Keywords:

light, painting, abstraction, spirituality, transcendence