In November 2022, I asked Tadeusz Baranowski to speak briefly about his life and work. I’m thankful Tadeusz kindly agreed, and you can read his thoughts on his life and abstract art in Hidden Motion.
Tadeusz’s 2023 show organized by the Auschwitz Culture Center. Poster by Jarek Składanek.
Tadeusz has earned international recognition for his comic books, and he also creates Non-Obvious Paintings that emphasize free, spontaneous expression. 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 admiring Tadeusz’s work, captivated by its universal appeal. The true meaning of abstraction remains as enigmatic as grasping quantum foam, synchronicity, and the essence of nothingness. For me, Tadeusz Baranowski’s canvases feel like an explosion of kinetic force captured within the confines of a still life. His work doesn’t follow a story or show you typical images. The feeling of time passing is present, but its source is unknown. In these artworks, the vastness of space unfolds, populated by mysterious, intangible energies. These interactions impact both the surface and the time they happen. Often, these tensions are lively, occasionally erupting, yet clearly visible to our deliberate observation. These paintings evoke a range of emotions and thoughts in me. Each painting is worth meditating on.
From the very first emails we exchanged, Tadeusz and I realized we had a shared love and respect for the natural world. Tadeusz spoke about journeys to the Masurian region with his wife, Anna. He said he currently lived next to a forest near Warsaw, Poland. Tadeusz sees himself as an individualist in the cosmos and finds swimming to be a reflective and enjoyable pastime. Tadeusz’s Facebook page features a vast collection of nature photographs. These pictures showcase the inherent rhythm and patterns found in nature. It’s possible that Tadeusz’s images of moving water, splintered trees, floral subjects, and insects acted as a preliminary structure or exploration 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
Mitchell Pluto 