The Art of Rafal Karcz
One of
the artists from "Azzoro Group" once said that everything has been
done. The work of Rafal Karcz (b. 1969, Krakow, Poland) proves different.
He showed us that Polish contemporary art is not only created by well-known
artists like Magdalena Abakanowicz, Roman Opalka or Tadeusz Kantor, it is
also made by talented, unknown people who are ready to be discovered.
His art is quite different from what we can see today: rough brush strokes, form full of expression. We can almost feel the influence of Warhol's pop - art and the romantic watercolors painted by Turner. Karcz represents a brand new approach to classical techniques: watercolors, acrylic, dark ink and soft lines of graphite. Although for many years the artist admired work of great painters from the past, in a way he managed to escape from the academic conventions. What is more, he used classical techniques and his knowledge to create an original style of his own. Though his artworks might seem realistic, on the second glimpse we can see that they can be classified, with equal ease, as avant-garde abstractions: visions painted on the old films, drowned in a fabulous spectacle of color. The association with photography emerges almost immediately.
Nevertheless, Rafal Karcz does not paint freeze-frames taken from the city life. The artist, entrenched in post modernistic way of thinking, decided to face the very difficult task of painting a concept -- condition of the contemporary human being. The characters on his canvas are, as in life, blended into the cultural background. They are also very diverse, often lost, and constantly seeking inspiration.
Karcz, through his art, shows his point of view. His artworks reflect not only the Polish presence with its baggage of historical references, but also ask questions about the mentality of the contemporary human being and the condition of his emotions. Those interesting paintings encourage us to stop and think for a second. They are the same as the figure of their creator: original and different from well-known stereotypes.
The forty-two-year-old artist with a diploma in art history and industrial design is definitely standing out from the crowd. Even though he is living and working in a small village in Poland called Bronowice, he does not consider himself as an outcast from the modern world. On the contrary, he is an extraordinary artist of the XXI century, with an interesting image and fresh ideas. While remaining in constant fight with the overwhelming mainstream, he chose to publish his artworks on various international websites connected to art and culture. Currently, he is creating a private collection of unusual paintings coming from the exchange with foreign artists who are quite similar to him - talented, still searching for their place on the demanding art market.
Ewa Russak
The Work
