MICHAŁ NOWAK
Born in 1980 in Rzeszów. A graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow. Scholarship holder of the Socrates-Erasmus programme at the Faculty of Painting of the Universität der Künste in Berlin.
For me, art is a way of capturing unique manifestations of beauty of the world. In my work, I often draw on motifs from everyday life. Directing one’s attention to things that are ordinary, perhaps even trivial, often leads to surprising discoveries. It allows us to see that things which are happening here and now, right under our noses, are interesting and unique. The realistic way of painting, not consciously transformed by any kind of artistic expression, allows us to maintain purity and convey the power that comes from the object of observation itself. It might seem that with the widespread access to advanced digital image recording techniques, realistic painting is losing its raison d’être. However, it is an artist’s individual gesture, not technical instrumentation, that makes painting capable of evoking a particular emotion, building a greater bond between the viewer and the artist.
In terms of the technique, painting remains a fascinating challenge: how to depict all the abundance of three-dimensional forms, colours and spaces, or even movement, on a flat piece of canvas. In taking up this challenge, I strive to maximise the quality of colours, to maintain their luminosity and to find optimal colour combinations. At the same time, I look for subtle means of expression, which will imperceptibly enhance the vividness of the painterly layer. This kind of approach, found in the works of artists such as Vermeer, Serat and Mela Muter, who brought out the richness of noble, sublime colour combinations and the sophisticated play of lights from simple everyday motifs, is very close to my own way of thinking.
Selected exhibitions and awards:
2005 Presentation of selected Cracow Fine Arts Academy graduates’ works, Pałac Sztuki, Cracow, Poland
2005 Presentation of selected works during the Contemporary Art Fair, Bunkier Sztuki Gallery, Cracow
2005 Polish Painting Biennial Bielska Jesień, Bielska Gallery, Bielsko-Biala, Poland
2006 Cracow Fine Arts Academy students’ exhibition, Kunststation Kleinsassen, Germany
2006 „KR-LDN Młodzi Polacy-Młodzi Brytyjczycy”, Zamek Gallery, Nowy Wiśnicz. Poland
2007 Solo exhibition „10 obrazów”, Solvay Art Centre, Cracow
2008 „Środek Europy” symposium participants’ exhibition, Kulturstation Kaufmann Gelnhausen, Germany
2009 Solo exhibition „Wnętrze miasta”, Schody Gallery, Warsaw, Poland
2016 Solo exhibition within the “Image and Icon” project, Dominican Monastery in Służew, Warsaw
2019 Group exhibition „Konstelacje – Poza horyzont”, ZPAP Gallery, Toruń, Poland
2020 Group exhibition „Konstelacje 2020”, ZPAP Gallery, Toruń, Poland
2021 Group exhibition „Pracownie Ludwiki – Galeria Metamorfozy”, Warszawa
Awards: second prize in “Konstelacje -Poza horyzont” 2019 competition
Scholarship of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage 2024