ABOUT EXHIBITION

The opening of an exhibition of works by Gruppa Seven
will take place on Wednesday, September 7, at 7:00 pm.

The artists identify their own life with their work, because their life is primarily painting, which cannot be practiced just like that - on a casual basis. Art is not an adornment of such a life - it is the purpose and meaning, and is probably also there to - as Picasso would say - wash the dust of everyday life from the soul. Sometimes it is useful to reckon with the past, to express rebellion against the prevailing order, it is a disagreement with reality, and it is also there to help the viewer unravel personal, inner dilemmas in the search for one's own identity. Art touches reality and we can find the truth about ourselves in it, provided that we try to read the work of art, understand the metaphor and hidden meaning contained in it. For this we need the right form. Artists gain experience in its creation over the years, and if the average age of a group of artists approaches sixty (and there are numerous exhibitions, plein-air events, presentations in artistic resumes), then such a painting form can be successfully attributed to workshop reliability, although each artist has his own style, expresses himself in various techniques and also has his favorite genres of painting, in which he has specialized over the years.
The custom of joining together in artistic groups has been known for a long time. Artists choose a specific goal, they have a need to meet - a need for dialogue in a language in which they understand each other without words. What, in fact, will be the artistic credo of the group of painters who present their works at the joint exhibition? Will they create artistic manifestos? Was their meeting decided by coincidence or perhaps by conscious choice, and will this joint show become the beginning of something new? Time will perhaps bring answers to these questions.
The artists come from different backgrounds and universities. Some have already participated in the creation of artistic formations such as Leszek Zegalski and Jan Szpyt - co-founders of the defunct Group of Three. Dariusz Milinski, for example, is a co-founder of the "Pławna 9" art group. Painting is the field of art closest to them, although some also express themselves in mural painting, set design or poster design. Jan Dubrowin pursued a diploma in unique textiles, and Piotr Jakubczak has a wealth of theatrical experience. Monika Slósarczyk is also involved in interior design and decoration, and Jan Zyrek in sculpture. However, they are all united by painting, in which the main motif is man - his figure in the real world or seen through the prism of religion, mythology or, as in the case of Dariusz Miliński, through the prism of fairy-tale illustration, somewhat in the style of Bosch and Bruegel. A man in a portrait, in a generic scene, or in a religious vision, is in this painting in the real circle (nude, portrait), or in the esoteric world of magic realism (Robert Heczko). He can be inscribed in a specific situation, inspired by Baroque painting as, for example, in the paintings of Janusz Szpyt, or shrouded in a mysterious tenebrosis - as in Jan Dubrovin. In the artists' oeuvre we can find paintings inspired by the classics of art - Romanticism or Post-Impressionist Colorism, somewhat simplified - approaching Expressionism. Above all, however, the inspiration of reality is clear, as it suggests the most interesting subjects, which the painter shows through the prism of his own imagination, resorting to light deformation or deciding on drastic provocation (Żyrek, Jakubczak).
Art does not set boundaries, it gives freedom in interpreting reality, nor does it have to drip with metaphorical meanings, although each work is a challenge and each time the viewer may ask: what is it really about? Art has a hidden meaning. It seems that for a group of these particular artists, optimism is not at a high price, and their works - created over the years - are sometimes not very clear-cut in their reception, although there are some that provide an undeniably aesthetic, optimistic experience (after all, art is supposed to satisfy the need for beauty). A safe subject will certainly remain landscape, without unnecessary pathos and philosophy. In Gruppa Seven (because the artists will probably decide on such a name), we see an approach to painting that is serious, committed, and the excellent painting technique can successfully facilitate reaching the truth in art, prompting reflection and deep experiences. The artists do not resort to ambiguous abstraction, and the basis of their art seems to be solid realism, although the figuration is sometimes a very personal version. There's not much symbolism, and perhaps that's why the symbol is contained in the group's name - the amplified letter "p" and the number "seven" (that's what the number of members was supposed to be in the beginning) is a kind of union of time and space and, above all, a synonym for perfection.
We all feel that our world is going on at the wrong time. Is art, though freedom-giving, needed at all now - or is it only for a narrow circle of connoisseurs and critics? Will good and reliable painting not drown in mass culture? However, painters will always exist, and perhaps it is now that they should speak the loudest? Maybe it is painting that will revive sensitivity, save the greatest values? But in a painting you can't say too much, because.... one will kill it," said our Polish colorist Artur Nacht-Samborski, and he was right. You have to leave something for the viewer, in spite of everything, and make him think deeply at any cost.

Izabela Winiewicz-Cybulska