Woodcut. Dimensions: 40x 49 cm
Limited Edition: E/A
Hand signature.
Jerzy Panek - Polish graphic artist and painter born December 11, 1918 in Tarnów, died January 5, 2001 in Cracow. He studied at the Graphic Arts Department of the State Institute of Fine Arts in Cracow, which was renamed Staatliche Kunstgewerbeschule Krakau during the war. After the war, he studied at the Institute of Fine Arts in Cracow and then at the Academy of Fine Arts under Eibisch and Pronaszko. He worked in painting and printmaking, and from 1952 mainly in woodcut. In 1955 he received a diploma from the Academy and became one of the jurors of the famous "Arsenal" exhibition. At first he used sketching and photography auxiliary, then his graphic work was influenced by a trip to China in 1956 - he began to engrave directly on the boards. In China he was inspired by art techniques using wood, and he also rediscovered paper, recognizing the importance of its texture and physical properties. He also learned to perceive black and white differently, colors that would largely dominate his entire body of work. After returning to Krakow, he briefly collaborated with Kantor in his theatrical productions, but the episode ended quickly after a string of disagreements, interpreted by many as clashes between two extremely strong personalities. During this period, he worked mainly with woodcuts, and in 1960 became a member of the International Woodcut Association "Xylon." A few years later, he began to cooperate with the Cracow "Literary Life" where his works were reproduced. At the end of the 1960s, he devoted himself to working on the famous series "Inferno" according to Dante. In 1967/1968 he was a lecturer at the Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow, many years later he became its honorary professor.
He was a member of the Association of Polish Artists.
His work was recognized with awards: a gold medal at the Triennale of Contemporary World Art in New Delhi (1971, for his woodcut Self-Portrait in a White Hat), the Second Degree Award of the Minister of Culture and Art (1963), the Jan Cybis Award (1986), the Press Award of the 4th International Biennale of Graphic Arts in Cracow (1972). For a lifetime of creative work, he received the Award of the City of Cracow and the Award of the Governor of Cracow in 1998.
