Tytus Czyzewski

description

A Polish artist, literary critic, poet and playwright, who sought to combine the naivete of folk art with contemporary art movements: Dadaism and Futurism.
The parents of the future artist were landowners and gave his son a good education. Tytus graduated from the secondary school in Nowy Sącz, and in 1902 entered the painting faculty of the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków. Here his teachers were outstanding artists Yu. Mehoffer and S. Wyspianski.
Having received an education in Paris and participated in the exhibition of the Salon of Independent in 1911, Tytus Czyzewski had a strong influence on the development of the avant-garde art of Poland. He was a participant and one of the organizers of the group of Polish Expressionists, which was then converted into the group “Formists”, and edited the magazine with the same name. For several years he worked in the Embassy of Poland in Paris, was engaged in teaching activities, published scientific works in the field of art.

Key ideas:

– The paintings by Tytus Czyzewski are among the best examples of avant-garde painting in Poland. They are characterized by a fresh look at things, a bold work with the shape and the variety of decorative solutions, which are rooted in folk art and national folklore. The artist had a special talent to combine the newest “modern” tendencies of the European art with truly Polish specialties and national colors in his works. This fills his work with a special sound and emotional expressiveness.

– A fragmented and incorrect view of reality, surprising, almost impossible combinations of forms are visible in the paintings created under the influence of Russian Cubo-Futurism. The creative synthesis of various forms of the image, characteristic for such works as the famous “Act with the Cat,” a simplified and dynamically formed texture of the canvas showed the same kinship with the art of the first avant-garde in the West, as well as with the naive. Thanks to such a merger, the importance of folk art and craftsmanship was raised.

– Color played a huge role in the artist’s work. A born colorist, Czyzewski paid little attention to the shape of objects, focusing on the game of complex combinations and the unordinary nature of the color scheme of the canvas.

– Trying his hand in various modernist movements, he dwelled on the primitive art that allows expressing the immediate sensation of the world. Having rejected superfluous detailing and superficial plausibility, the artist paints emotionally filled canvases where, under external simplicity, the vital energy and originality of the author are hidden.

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1885

1907

1909

1910 - 1912

1917

1919

1922 - 1925

1925

1930

1940

1945

The birth of the artist

He was born on December 28, 1885 in Pshishova, Austria-Hungary (now Malopolska, Poland).

He continued studying painting in Paris

He continued studying painting in Paris, where he got acquainted with modern artists and avant-garde art movements. The works of P. Cezanne and P. Picasso mostly attracted the artist.

He worked as a teacher of the art school in Krakow

Having returned to Poland, he worked as a teacher of the art school in Krakow, where the following year the first personal exhibition of the artist’s works was organized, which was a great success.

He participated in the “Independent” exhibition in Krakow

The painter lived in Paris, where he learnt the principles of Cubism. In that period, he participated in the “Independent” exhibition in Krakow together with Andrzej and Zbigniew Pronashko, Evgeni Zak and other young Polish artists.

Was the editor of the magazine "Formists"

Became one of the founders of the group of Polish Expressionists, which was renamed “The Formist group” in 1919. This association, which included the most progressive artists of Poland, had a great influence on the art of the country. Despite the fragmented artistic styles of the participants, the Formists managed to unite creative youth around themselves and organize a large number of art exhibitions. Czyzewski was also the editor of the magazine “Formists”, together with L. Khvistek.

Published his works in the magazines

Started co-working with a few Futurist organizations of Poland, such as “Katarynka” and «Gałka Muszkatołowa». Published his works in the magazines of Futuristic poets.

Worked at the embassy of Poland in Paris

Worked at the embassy of Poland in Paris. Published a few articles about arts and published his works in the press. Collaborated with the magazine “Epoch”, where he covered European art exhibitions, and some other periodicals. In that period, the style of Czyzewski underwent a change. In his paintings, he started to appeal more to folk art, using primitivism techniques to express an artistic idea. Czyzewski was an active participant in the Salon of Independent, where he exhibited his works from 1923.

"Pastoral"

He published the series of poems “Pastoral”, illustrated with engravings by Tadeusz Makovsky. He was a participant in the Autumn Salon (1926, 1928).

“New generation”

Returned to Poland, actively published his works in the magazines “The Artist’s Voice”, “Modern Art”, “Culture”. His paintings were presented at the exhibition “New generation” in Lviv (1932) and at the group of modern artists in Warsaw (1933).

During the Nazi occupation, he was in Warsaw

In the last period of his career, “the silence of colors” established in his paintings – they sizably became lighter and the shapes became softer. During the Nazi occupation, he was in Warsaw and then moved to Krakow.