Mariusz Hermansdorfer

Konrad Jarodzki. Paintings

Since 1962 Konrad Jarodzki’s paintings have been presented at exhibitions in Wrocław and nationwide, and their reproductions were the pride of magazines distributed not only in the country, but also abroad. However, except for those who visit the painter’s studios, only few are familiar with his creative path. Several years have passed since the first individual exhibition of the artist’s works, and the canvases viewed at collective exhibitions presented only currently solved artistic problems. However, it is possible to see the value of the way of thinking, the concept and the main idea of the entire artistic activity only when there is comparison betweencompositions from different periods. Such kind of confrontation reveals fluctuations, artistic anxiety or great consistency in realising painting program.

The last feature is characteristic of Jarodzki’s whole artistic work. His art has been developing without fluctuations since the moment of specifying his own artistic concepts. This moment came in 1963, when – after a short period of searching – the artist painted the first works from the ‘Heads’ series. At that time, he chose a permanent motif for his works and defined its visual form. The motif was the image of a head, the form – graphic planes of a homogeneous or opposite colour. On the neutral surface of the canvas, they created a simple structure with a predominance of verticals and horizontals. The rhythmic, vertical and horizontal arrangement was sometimes enlivened by curved lines that divided larger fields into a series of parts. In this way every shape was treated individually and gained a unique expression.

Due to the use of such simple elements the form of a head was reduced to a painterly ideogram. Since then it became just a pretext, an artistic sign with its own content, independent of the original.

In the years 1963-1964 this sign was represented in a geometric form in the artist’s paintings. The lines that defined its contours were similar in all compositions – they were narrow, slightly shaded, with a colour that contrasted with the surface of the canvas. Subsequently, the artist introduced thickened texture, used the play of lights and shadows, broadened small planes into the whole painting.  Uniform figures were then replaced by internally differentiated forms. Their edges were also altered.  Rectangles were replaced by irregular shapes with broad, painterly outlines.

The introduction of new forms of expression was determined by the change of artistic concept. The previous forms symbolised order and harmony, they constituted a specific model. Now vice versa. The objective and measurable world of geometric lines ceased to be the point of reference. Namely, a new kind of transposition brought Jarodzki’s paintings closer to organic art. The artist was then concerned with the problem of decay, disintegration and destruction of form. Therefore, he interpreted biological processes that accompanied these phenomena. There was constant movement in his compositions. Strong structures cracked and their components combined into new systems. The shapes were fluid and resembled cellular forms.

Colour changes appeared together with the division of planes. The dark saturated tones of the canvasses disappeared and gave way to whites, greys and subtle, muted greens. 

In his last compositions Konrad Jarodzki brought the process of fragmentation of forms to the point beyond which the painting becomes a smooth, homogeneous plane. Will the artist decide to make this move? Or perhaps he will return to cohesive compositions?

One thing is certain – what happens in the future, will be organically connected with the current, exceptionally consistent development of Jarodzki’s art.

June, 1967

Translated by: Małgorzata Możdżyńska-Nawotka, Katarzyna Mironowicz, ACR – Centrum Tłumaczeń Specjalistycznych

SOURCE:

Text originally published in: Konrad Jarodzki. Malarstwo, exhibition catalogue, Wrocław: Muzeum Architektury i Odbudowy, 1967