Jacek Yerka
I would have to say that without a doubt Jacek Yerka is my current favorite painter. Hailing from Poland, Jacek’s abilities both technically and imagination-wise are outstanding. At one time I can feel the loneliness and hope of each painting, the consequences of war and isolation and yet the sheer joy of the day. He’s quite gifted.
You can see quite a bit more of Mr. Yerka’s work here and [link:]here[/link].
More from the amazing Wikipedia:
Jacek Yerka was born in a Toruń, city in Northern Poland in the early 1950s. He studied art for a short time at University, but then learnt from direct study of Northern European masters, the Van Eycks, Dierck Bouts, Robert Campin, Bosch, and surrealists such as Magritte.
Yerka said:
“ I did my first painting of my life a year before going to college, where I began studying graphics. My instructors always tried to get me to paint in the more contemporary abstract style, and move away from my fascination with realism. I saw this as an attempt to stifle my own creative style and steadfastly refused to fall in line. Eventually, my teachers relented. ”
His paintings are acrylic on canvas and carefully rendered, using images from his childhood, including his grandmother’s kitchen. He also includes odd beasts and whimsical landscapes. He comments, “For me, the 1950’s were a kind of Golden Age … If I were, for instance, to paint a computer, it would definitely have a pre-war aesthetic to it.”
Yerka’s work has been exhibited in Poland, Germany, Monaco, France, and the United States. His works are also in Polish art museums.
Yerka’s work can be seen in Mind Fields, a book in which Harlan Ellison has provided narration for each of Yerka’s selected pieces.
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On June 5th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
Wow hugely inspiring stuff, very surrealist also