In November 2022 I invited Tadeusz Baranowski to talk a little bit about his life and his work. Tadeuszu graciously accepted which I am very grateful for, his thoughts on his life and abstract painting can be found here in Hidden Motion.
While known internationally for his original comic books, Tadeusz also paints Non-Obvious Painting that emphasizes free and spontaneous appearing expressions. Tadeusz’s paintings are deliberately built by a technique that uses wood, fabric, polystyrene, acrylics, and oils. One painting sometimes takes many months.
I spent several hours looking at Tadeusz’s work which I found universally appealing. Abstraction has a reputation that is not clearly understood like understanding quantum foam, synchronicity and the the nature of nothing. I think Tadeusz Baranowski’s paintings are a release of energy in a still life. There is no narrative or conventional images. There is a sense of time somewhere. The paintings convey a space scape with unidentified forces. These interactions influence the surface and time that contains them. Usually these tensions are dynamic, sometimes explosive, but firmly positioned so we can consciously see them. When I look into these paintings I apprehend different emotional and cognitive states. Each painting is worth meditating on.
Through our correspondence in email Tadeusz and I immediately found we shared a common love and respect of nature. Tadeusz mentioned trips to the Masurian country with his wife Anna. He said he currently lived next to a forest near Warsaw, Poland. Tadeusz considers himself a lone wolf in the universe. He enjoys swimming as a contemplative activity. A prolific amount of nature photos can be found on Tadeusz’s Facebook page. The photos capture a rhythm and pattern of nature. I speculate Tadeusz’s photos of flowing water, broken trees, flowers and insects may have provided a scaffolding or study for his paintings. Tadeusz Baranowski’s show was curated by Magdalena Grochowska and will be shown from February 10th to March 14, 2023 at the Oświęcimskie Centrum Kultury
