Ryszard Winiarski (1936-2006), Project 6, 1971

mixed technique, ink, pencil, paper; 32 x 22.5 cm;
signed and dated p. d.: winiarski'71 (in pencil)
inscription at bottom: PROJECT 6 ;
on the reverse: Ryszard Winiarski Pologne / 1971

Provenance:
private collection, Cracow


Signed and dated work on paper superbly captures Winiarski's characteristic manner of artistic expression. The black and white fields of squares arranged according to a well-thought-out mathematical concept, liberated from the rules of classical painting, for contemporary collectors may be not only an example of conceptual art, but also a new perspective on the aesthetics of painting. The work on display dates from 1971, a period of intensive work by the artist to develop his scientific and artistic concepts. Just five years earlier, Winiarski had written his thesis "Event - Information - Image," in which he included key theoretical assumptions. He presented the artistic realizations based on them at the Symposium of Artists and Scientists in Pulawy that same year. The 1970s also saw the birth of the concept of games, which were designed to activate art audiences and involve them in the creative process (series of works entitled "Games. "Games," an exhibition at the Contemporary Gallery in Warsaw in 1972). Interestingly, the artist also made scenographic projects (1967-1977). His achievements in this regard include Shakespeare's "Macbeth" and "Othello" and Euripides' "Medea". In 1971, the artist participated in group exhibitions, for example, at the International Biennial of Contemporary Art in Sao Paulo, the "Golden Grape" Symposium in Zielona Gora and the "Five Polish Painters" exhibition in Oslo.