The artistic history of Wojtek T.: A Brief Interview with Myself

Wojciech Tracewski: How did you become an artist? When and where?

Wojtek T.: I think anyone who creates art, music, or literature, has it in their blood somehow. I painted my first pictures at the age of 16. At 19, I began studying painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, in 1981. At that time, due to communism and martial law, we had no contact with Western art, and information about what was happening in the culture of the free world was scarce on our dark side of the Iron Curtain. However, almost immediately, along with several other young painters and sculptors, we started creating very wild, crazy, and often really large-scale works that art history eventually classified as Transavantgarde or the New Wave.

In Poland, the source of this style was quite clear – on one side, it was regular and joyful, though risky, street battles with communist militia, pervasive poverty, censorship, the inability to exhibit works in official galleries, and thousands of other limitations typical of any idiotic dictatorship. On the other side, it was our longing for freedom, self-expression, traveling the world, participating in exhibitions in other countries, and so on. In short, all the external and internal pressures typical of those times made us very creative, sometimes ruthlessly provocative, and decidedly productive artists.

- Looking at your paintings and reading their titles, one might get the impression that your art is cruel. Would you agree with this opinion?

- Definitely not, because since childhood, I had a tendency to disagree with things that aren’t true (laughs). In reality, it’s about something else: largely about suffering, of which there is far too much in the world. If, for example, I painted few figures under palm trees and called the work Cemetery with a Sea View, it wasn’t to wish everyone a swift death and burial on the beach. Rather, it was to show that although we desire to spend life in the most beautiful surroundings, eat the most delicious food, and seek the most attractive partners, at some point all of this slips from our grasp due to the passage of time. Life, fundamentally, is dramatic if we cannot experience it from an absolute perspective.

My paintings, like those of many other artists, almost always have two “layers”. The first is the level of colors and forms, where – at least I hope so – the balance between the quantity of Indian yellow and Parisian blue harmonizes skillfully, and there is the necessary equilibrium between larger and smaller forms. The second layer is the level of meaning, which carries a thought, an observation, a hint, or an understanding. I often hide this message behind a mask of irony or soften its gravity with a touch of subversive humor. No matter how difficult our experiences may be, they eventually pass, proving their illusory nature. In other words, I try to make my message both profound and lighthearted because it seems to align with the nature of life.

- What inspires you to create a painting?

- It’s genuinely hard to give a definitive answer, because there are so many possibilities. Sometimes I have a specific idea that arises either from observing what’s happening around me or emerges simply from an inner world of feelings or reflections. However, some of my paintings practically created themselves – I based them on shapes that accidentally appeared on the canvas when a previous painting didn’t work out, and I started to paint over it. Every artist, of course, has their own way of creating. In my case, it can be either a conscious or subconscious process. Sometimes I feel like the paintings that “create themselves” are more interesting, and the final result of such creation can even surprise me.

Art is undoubtedly a phenomenon so free and undefined that it often eludes any concepts or definitions. Jackson Pollock, for example, once threw a wild party for his friends in his studio, where a massive, primed canvas was spread out on the floor. During the chaotic event, the guests, along with Pollock, poured various paints onto the canvas, walked over it, and even rode a bicycle across it. The next morning, Pollock, nursing a terrible headache, looked at the wrecked floor, and in a flash of divine inspiration, quickly added a few blue stripes to the chaotic canvas. That’s how his famous Blue Poles came into being – a painting long ago purchased by the National Gallery of Australia and now valued at half a billion dollars. And here comes the truly challenging and popular question: What did the artist mean by this work?

- Apparently, you haven't painted for a long time and returned to art only a few years ago. Why the break?

- That’s true. After I graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts, my Buddhist teacher Lama Ole Nydahl asked if I could find time to translate his books into Polish. Spontaneously, I said yes, as the topics he wrote about deeply inspired and fascinated me. How could I not translate books about absolute freedom, lasting happiness for all beings, the illusory nature of death, or the realization of the ultimate fearlessness of the mind?

However, when I thought about it more carefully, I realized I wouldn’t be able to reconcile the work of a painter with the task of translator because both required full commitment – a lot of time, a different kind of focus, and even a distinctly different lifestyle. I thought about all of this for several hours, and the next day I started translating the first chapter of one of the books because I believed that what we do for others is the most important thing. During those 30 years of "not painting" I translated Lama Ole’s books and his lectures on the nature of phenomena. I also gave similar lectures myself in various parts of the world and talked with an incredible number of wonderful people. Now that many of them are doing exceptionally well with these activities, I can paint again. This brings me great joy because art has always been incredibly close to my heart.

- Why did you ultimately move to Spain? Was this decision related to art?

- There were several reasons. The first is that I fell in love with this incredible country the moment I arrived here in 1991. I simply like everything about it: the impressive warmth of the people, the vibrant colors of the landscapes, the omnipresent sea and sunshine in Andalusia, the culture, the history, the relationship between the quality of wine and its price, and even the constant smell of fried fish in the air (laughs). From an artistic perspective, Spain is also an incredibly inspiring place on Earth. The other reasons were more practical; for example, I couldn’t afford to rent a studio in Warsaw, but here in Motril, I’ve managed to make it work for now...

- What does art mean to you? What do you want to express through it?

- The first of these questions has always puzzled countless artists, art theorists and its audiences. Since it’s such a vast topic, I’ll try to answer briefly for a change. For me, art is unfettered freedom, total lack of responsibility, an expression of the infinite richness of the mind, a way of communicating things important to all of us and to each of us individually - for example, love, compassion or various forms of understanding. It’s also a tool of opposition against stupidity, cowardice, cruelty, selfishness, and all other human weaknesses; a means of capturing and showing others beauty they might not yet have encountered or noticed. And, finally, an expression of an elusive mystery... I must also admit that I greatly appreciate art’s ability to freeze important moments, thoughts, or long-gone impressions. Professionally varnished paintings can last for a really long time, to the delight - or horror - of many subsequent generations.

- In which collections can your works be found?

- The easiest way to find that information is on my website: wojciechtracewski.art.

- Has anything changed recently in your painting style?

- In life, everything changes all the time. I think I’m painting more landscapes now, although, of course, they’re quite specific. I believe my painting has moved in this direction due to the beauty of the surroundings where I now live; there’s an abundance of gold, red, blue, and light here...

- Have you managed to sell your paintings after such a long absence from the art market?

- Yes, sometimes I manage to sell a smaller or larger painting; for example, the Polish auction house Desa Unicum regularly helps me with that. I also get calls from private individuals who may have stumbled upon my website by chance. At the same time, I’m aware that I might need many more years to fully restart the entire machinery of creating, exhibiting, and selling art.

- Do you keep in touch with your artistic circle from your youth?

- Yes, of course, although these meetings are not frequent, if only for geographical reasons. Nevertheless, I still have very good contact with Maciek Dowgiałło, with whom I organized exhibitions in the 1980s; I also still get along well with Ryszard Woźniak and Ryszard Grzyb. All three are great painters, certainly better than me.

- What exhibitions have you participated in recently?

- Last year, I had the honor of participating in the New Expression of the 1980's exhibition organized by Krzysztof Stanisławski at the Center for Contemporary Art in Toruń. The entire event was truly magnificent and artistically rich; many works by Polish artists from that period remain unique and still leave a strong impression. Currently, I’m looking for a gallery willing to show my works, so please wish me luck in making it happen.

- Would you describe yourself as a Polish painter?

- Both yes and no. On one hand, I’m certainly a dedicated Polish patriot and consider our country an amazing place, with all its turbulent history, courage, romantic imagination, and beauty. My character and approach to art have also been largely shaped by Poland and Polishness. On the other hand, however, the world of colors, forms, and emotions - that is, the world of art - surely has no nationality, as colors, forms, and emotions themselves do not. This loose dichotomy likely applies to every creator, regardless of their nationality or the era in which they live.

- What are your current artistic plans?

- They’re very simple: for the coming years, I’ll just paint more works step by step, without great expectations, as I have a lot of catching up to do in the realm of art. Creating is joy in itself, so everything is fundamentally fine in that area. I’m also curious to see what will happen next, what paintings still lie within me, and how they will be received by occasional viewers and the wealthy art collectors from around the world who are experts in the field. (laughs)

- Thank you for the interview!

- Don’t mention it; after all, it was essentially a conversation with myself.