Tragedy and Gestures: Fuga and Invention in the Painting of Wiesław Szamborski at Warsaw Archdiocese Museum

This exhibition explores the painting of Wiesław Szamborski, focusing on themes of tragedy, gestures, fugue, and invention. It situates Szamborski's work within the context of Poland's independent culture movement in the 1980s and its spiritual and political underpinnings.

The exhibition "TRAGEDIA I GESTY. Fuga i inwencja w malarstwie Wiesława Szamborskiego" (Tragedy and Gestures: Fuga and Invention in the Painting of Wiesław Szamborski) delves into the oeuvre of the artist Wiesław Szamborski, a prominent figure in Polish figurative painting. The exhibition links his artistic practice to the broader context of Poland's independent culture scene during the critical 1980s, a period marked by the Solidarity movement and martial law. It suggests that the spirit of anti-communist resistance resonates with contemporary challenges, advocating for the discovery and amplification of the universalism rooted in Christian spirituality within the work of active artists like Szamborski. The concept of 'fuga,' derived from the Latin for escape, pursuit, or exile, is presented as an eternal and relevant theme, drawing parallels with St. Ambrose's theological discussions on flight from the world. The exhibition highlights the pervasive iconography of fugue across literature, visual arts, and music, suggesting that everyone experiences its varied forms. Szamborski, born in 1941 and an emeritus professor at the Warsaw University of Art, is recognized as a leading representative of the figurative movement, particularly within the 'New Figuration' of the late 1960s and early 1970s. His inventive and often allusive paintings explore these profound themes.