Jerzy Marek's artistic career began in difficult times. Europe was between the world wars and in an unstable phase. Marek was born in Poland and the country, like its neighbouring countries, was experiencing economic problems. These were crisis-ridden times that ultimately ended in a terrible war. Jerzy Marek took the British side during the war and moved to London at the age of only 23. The future artist initially took up the profession of civil engineer. Jerzy later gave up this occupation and devoted himself entirely to painting. Marek's paintings are classified as naive painting. An art form that is defined only to a small extent by the style of art. Naive art refers to the artists behind the works, whose training is self-taught. The term naive art was coined in 1920, prompted by an exhibition by French artist Henri Rousseau, who also approached painting through self-study.
The quality and assured sense of style that Marek's works exude suggest that the artist had devoted himself to painting from an early age. The artist's first works, were published at a time when he was painting part-time. Jerzy found his motifs in his surroundings. In his early period, he preferred to paint sporting subjects, followed later by animals and interiors. The artist painted from memory. Jerzy Marek preferred small formats on which he depicted living creatures and objects in simplified form. The application of paint is multi-layered and gives the paintings depth and volume. The viewer will not find a shadow cast in the paintings. Critics appreciate the imaginative elaboration of the motifs and the wonderful colourfulness. For many years Jerzy Marek was represented by a London gallery. With this connection he belonged to the circle of successful contemporary artists. His environment gave the painter great self-confidence. As an artist, he had found his own, very clear style and had developed to the point where he could pass on his knowledge to other artists.
Cats are an integral part of Jerzy Marek's work. The artist painted elegant domestic cats in domestic scenes and wild cats in deep forests. The expressive eyes and the gentleness that the animals radiate are striking. In art, the depiction is used as a symbol of freedom. The extent to which an artist without an academic education takes on the symbolic language of art, adopts it and uses it purposefully is in the realm of extravagant thought. However, an artist such as Jerzy Marek, who engaged in painting with great intensity and passion, will have been aware of the power of the pictorial language. Freedom, which refers to one's own development, would aptly describe the artist's life path.
Jerzy Marek's artistic career began in difficult times. Europe was between the world wars and in an unstable phase. Marek was born in Poland and the country, like its neighbouring countries, was experiencing economic problems. These were crisis-ridden times that ultimately ended in a terrible war. Jerzy Marek took the British side during the war and moved to London at the age of only 23. The future artist initially took up the profession of civil engineer. Jerzy later gave up this occupation and devoted himself entirely to painting. Marek's paintings are classified as naive painting. An art form that is defined only to a small extent by the style of art. Naive art refers to the artists behind the works, whose training is self-taught. The term naive art was coined in 1920, prompted by an exhibition by French artist Henri Rousseau, who also approached painting through self-study.
The quality and assured sense of style that Marek's works exude suggest that the artist had devoted himself to painting from an early age. The artist's first works, were published at a time when he was painting part-time. Jerzy found his motifs in his surroundings. In his early period, he preferred to paint sporting subjects, followed later by animals and interiors. The artist painted from memory. Jerzy Marek preferred small formats on which he depicted living creatures and objects in simplified form. The application of paint is multi-layered and gives the paintings depth and volume. The viewer will not find a shadow cast in the paintings. Critics appreciate the imaginative elaboration of the motifs and the wonderful colourfulness. For many years Jerzy Marek was represented by a London gallery. With this connection he belonged to the circle of successful contemporary artists. His environment gave the painter great self-confidence. As an artist, he had found his own, very clear style and had developed to the point where he could pass on his knowledge to other artists.
Cats are an integral part of Jerzy Marek's work. The artist painted elegant domestic cats in domestic scenes and wild cats in deep forests. The expressive eyes and the gentleness that the animals radiate are striking. In art, the depiction is used as a symbol of freedom. The extent to which an artist without an academic education takes on the symbolic language of art, adopts it and uses it purposefully is in the realm of extravagant thought. However, an artist such as Jerzy Marek, who engaged in painting with great intensity and passion, will have been aware of the power of the pictorial language. Freedom, which refers to one's own development, would aptly describe the artist's life path.
Page 1 / 1