Artibus et Historiae no. 20 (X)

1989, ISSN 0391-9064

Up
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Buy article pdf

MIECZYSŁAW PORĘBSKI - The Eschatological Realism of Jerzy Nowosielski

The life and work of Polish painter Jerzy Nowosielski are discussed at length in an attempt to elucidate the apparent contradictions in both. Nowosielski, born in Cracow, is best known for his vivid, bold, very modern icon paintings, in particular those decorating the interiors of several architecturally striking churches in Poland. To understand the reasons for his interest in icons and the artistic choices he makes in painting them, some knowledge of his personal background, as well as of his philosophical and spiritual concerns, is required. At the root of Nowosielski's esoteric creative vision is his own historical analysis of the cultural origins of Europe, which he sees as a fruitful mixture of the traditions of East and West. The attraction of the artist, whose mother was Roman Catholic and whose father was a Catholic of the Eastern Rite, i.e., a Uniate, to the Eastern Orthodox Church also plays a crucial and, in his scheme of things, perfectly logical role in his thinking. For him Orthodoxy is an integral part of the rich European heritage, a heritage which has developed in part out of the tension and cross-fertilization between waxing and waning cultures, as, for example, when the Classical Greek world gave way to the Roman Empire, the leadership of the early Christian Church was transferred from Rome to Byzantium, or when, with the decline of the Byzantine empire, a Hellenistic revival laid the groundwork for the Italian Renaissance. The extraordinary beauty of Nowosielski's artistic production - which includes secular subjects - merits this in-depth look at the complex theological reasoning behind it, but equally of interest today is his idea of a present and future Europe that is all the stronger for its inherent contrasts.