Zdzisław Beksiński was born in Sanok, Poland, on the 24th of February, 1929. He attended the Krakow University of Technology, where he studied architecture. He worked a couple of jobs after graduating but didn’t like them very much. Eventually, he started his career as a photographer, then did graphic design before he settled into painting. 

Though people speculate that his work is influenced by his experiences with WW2,  he left the meaning of his paintings up to the viewer’s interpretation. Beksinski even left most of his paintings unnamed. His work, like many surrealist artists, is described to be akin to dreams in terms of visuals. However, Beksinski’s paintings take on a more nightmarish tone. 

I picked Zdzisław Beksiński for my blog post because I’d heard about him before this class. About a year ago I found a video on Youtube talking about his life and his work. It’s a nice and thorough video, so I’ll link it here:

Aside from that, Beksiński’s paintings are some of the most fascinating art I’ve ever seen. This might sound a bit morbid, but as a fan of the horror genre, he’s a big influence and inspiration to me. He has a way of visualizing the surreal and eerie in a way many people can only dream of. It’s truly captivating how he manages to create such uncanny and ghostly environments. Looking at his work almost feels like visiting hell.

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