Małgorzata Oleszkiewicz and her "Figures of Emotion."
For artists, art is often a reckoning with the past—there is no doubt about that. But is it possible for this reckoning to be directed towards the future? Absolutely. The common denominator of this endless timeline is the need to express traumatic experiences, both those that have been and those that are foreseen. "For several months, I've been painting these images. People full of holes... Embraced... Fleeing... It all happened on its own, and I didn’t understand it," confesses Małgorzata Oleszkiewicz. "I'm afraid of this intuition..." And the word became flesh—painterly flesh. Russia invaded Ukraine, and an inhumane war began. Was it intuition or a prophetic dream? Common sense suggests that prophetic dreams don't exist, yet many artists have had such dreams. "Europe After the Rain I," a work by Max Ernst from 1933, is a prophetic vision of World War II. Ernst's prophecy is striking; his painting is a fantastical map—a map of chaos, or a continent plunged into chaos. There are no roads, no rivers, no cities—Europe is entirely covered by a polychromed plaster relief. There are no people either, but if there were, they might look as Małgorzata painted them. "Fleeing, embraced, full of holes..." They would not be intruders; what connects them with Ernst’s painting is both the painterly matter and the unique portrayal of suffering—suffering hidden in metaphysical shapes, a particular kind of deformation. On Oleszkiewicz’s canvases, people suffer; on Ernst’s painting, the entire continent does. These are similar—intuitive—"figures of emotion." Is there a secret to prophetic paintings? If there is, it lies beyond them, for more important than the work itself is the purifying power of the creative process—catharsis. Perhaps the phenomenon of prophetic dreams does not exist, but premonitions do—bad premonitions that sometimes come true. Just like with Ernst and Oleszkiewicz, or—if you prefer—the Master and Margarita.
(jzm/2022) Jerzy Zbigniew Moryto - author of the book "Europe in the Times of Art and Madness."
The works of Małgorzata Oleszkiewicz draw inspiration from several key artists, notably Edvard Munch and Mark Rothko. Like Munch, Oleszkiewicz explores raw emotions—loneliness and anxiety—but her approach is more abstract and universal, without specific narrative context. Munch’s works, such as "The Scream," dramatically express human experience, while Oleszkiewicz's abstraction makes her art more introspective and ambiguous.
Rothko’s influence is seen in her expressive use of layered color, aiming to evoke deep emotional responses. Oleszkiewicz's compositions are spatial, adding depth, yet they maintain a focus on intense color fields similar to Rothko’s emotive resonance. Unlike Rothko’s pure abstraction, Oleszkiewicz includes figurative elements, which introduce a more personal, lyrical touch.
In terms of atmosphere, her work also echoes Giorgio de Chirico’s metaphysical surrealism, with enigmatic, desolate spaces that convey a sense of mystery. Oleszkiewicz places solitary figures within expansive, richly colored environments, evoking themes of isolation and introspection, much like de Chirico's haunting scenes.
The resemblance to Munch is in her exploration of human emotion—fear, isolation—rendered abstractly rather than literally. The similarity to Rothko lies in her bold use of color and the attempt to provoke emotional reactions through this interplay. Ultimately, Oleszkiewicz’s work finds a unique balance between emotional expression and compositional form, carving out an independent voice in contemporary art.
Artworks for Sale
1. Venice - Acrylic on canvas 50x60cm
2. Blue mood - Acrylic, crayon on canvas 65x92cm
3. Pink mood - Acrylic, crayon on canvas 73x92cm
4. Landscape with a Red Sphere - Acrylic on canvas - 100x140cm x2
Payment and Shipping Information
Payment Method: Bank Transfer
Delivery Options:
Self Pickup
Courier Delivery (DPD / Poczta Polska)
Packaging and Delivery Cost:
Depending on location and size of the artwork
Individual pricing
Certificate: Included with each artwork
Interested in purchasing?
Please email me at: info@malgorzataoleszkiewicz.com
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