Henryk WANIEK (b. 1942), Interior, 1974

Lavendered ink (Chinese), cardboard; 51 x 72 cm;
Signed and dated p. d.: HENRYK WANIEK - MAJ - 1974, next to description: what was happening on stage was the truest thing I / have ever seen, at left edge fragment of illegible inscription.

Henryk Waniek does not only paint, he is also involved in stage design, among other things, but above all he is a prose writer. In literature, he explores fantastic themes often related to the mysteries and cultural issues of Silesia understood within its widest boundaries, i.e. from Oświęcim to Zgorzelec. The artist is also an expert on esoteric issues, which is perhaps the reason for the metaphysical tone his paintings exude. Henryk Waniek explores the interrelationships that arise during an internal, spiritual "wandering" as well as an external, physical one - this approach of the artist connects his painting with the word. The evoked places from his works, concentrically or symmetrically built spaces full of symbolic elements, do not constitute a concrete landscape - they are rather a landscape of a state of mind, which is then captured in literary works. Henryk Wańek's artistic activity has a purpose, about which the artist himself says it best: "(...) so let's rather say that I tried to make images visible. The results of these endeavors varied - sometimes satisfaction, sometimes shame. If they were images of harmony, I set myself a mark of excellence (...)".