Painting 5 Studio

Head of the studio:

Assistant:

Ideological programme for Painting Studio 5

The diploma studio is the place of Art. The nature of Art is in fact defined by the creative act whose testimony and trace is a work of art. However, a work of art is not the aim of this creative act, nor can it be considered as its full realisation. The overriding aim of the diploma studio is the constant visualisation of the act. It is here that the teacher, called the master, and his student stand on the threshold of the new, the unknown. In order to maintain the status quo, it seems that we should reach for the maxim “first, do no harm” in order not to overshadow the view of the unknown.

It is also the duty of the master to look back in order not to lose the value of the undoubtedly successful work done by the faculty’s studios. It is worth mentioning the educational scope offered by Professor Mieczysław Olszewski’s studio, which is of great interest to students. The expressive and reliably interpreted space of artistic narration was an important thread in the contemporary artistic dialogue. The one who takes over the position of the Professor should, in my opinion, creatively uphold the programme the students have come to expect. We are at the Academy, where a well-understood notion of continuity gives strength to artistic tradition. In the understanding of such tradition I also find a reflection of what Professor Mieczysław Olszewski said about painting and teaching the unknown: “There is no clear and concise definition of painting – it is a form of human expression, selfless. A flat painted surface. I expect a student to create paintings – I don’t specify what paintings...”.

Taking part in the contest for the head of a diploma studio, I declared, above all, to be a guide in the world of art and, in a way, in the lives of young people, standing at the threshold of the most important choices, because it is impossible to leave the prose of everyday life at the studio door. When choosing a master studio, the student has an idea, I stress, an idea, of the artistic offer and preferred qualities in the chosen place, but does not have the knowledge and methods to achieve the expected outcome. The diploma studio should be a place where each of those crossing its threshold meet with their art, understand it and communicate with it an interested audience. I believe that Art is on the side of the beliefs of the adepts, even when its realisation ends in failure. I also believe that a strong and expressive figure of a master is in no way the same as a narcissistic look at his own work and beliefs. The supervisor, above all, directs the talent of the student entrusted to him to establish an individualised creative attitude. The figure of the teacher presented in this way should be characterised by a dynamic transformation of views, vivid artistic discourse, the ability to make decisions based on the beliefs and opinions of his own as well as his co-workers who run drawing and specialisation studios. When entering the studio, the student should be aware that his artistic technique is primarily determined by acquired intellectual competence and talent. It is important to decide – do we develop intellect or talent? Or perhaps it should be said, “He’s talented because he’s wise, because he understands the reality of which he is a part”.

The term “technique” in this type of a studio is the broadest possible term to describe the scope of possible creative work. As I mentioned above, an “intellectual talent” equipped with conceptual knowledge, consciously chooses things: a motif, a painting theme, a tool, painting technology – the things that determine the significance of painting. The students should get to know the formality of these things by drawing on the educational offer of the Faculty of Painting. The knowledge gained from history, philosophy of art, visual communication, painting technologies and digital technologies should be a certainty that can be transposed or challenged. Travels to other creative centres and environments are intended to complement and confirm the student’s choice of the right artistic technique.

In this studio I see more challenges for students than in an easy and comfortable journey through the so-called world of “fine arts”. The only beautiful thing in the offer of this studio is that by crossing its threshold we step onto the path of exceptional intellectual, physical and material effort. I cannot offer a work from and to an hour; regularity – yes, but not necessarily arithmetically determined. Establishing and nurturing this regularity is one of the expected features and skills that ensure the continuity of the creative process.

The “painting” that I would like to see on the easels of my students is one that is inspired and shaped by individualism and the awareness of the fact that the period of three years of studies is the most intense time for fulfilling their ideas about being an artist.

– Jarosław Bauć