Zdzislaw Beksinski was born on February 24, 1929 in Sanok, Poland. Little is known about Beksinski’s childhood, other than his love for music, which later influenced some of his paintings. His mom intended for Beksinski to be a professional piano player, but after he lost two finger tips from handling an explosive, he quit piano entirely. Beksinski went to school for architecture in Krakow, Poland. Although he completed his studies, he had little passion for the subject, and went on to explore his more artistic desires. He began making sculptures for fun from spare materials he found on the construction site he supervised. Soon after he began exploring photography, taking photos of desolate landscapes and still-life faces– two subjects that would commonly occur in his future works as a painter. When he eventually discovered oil painting he set out with the intention of being an abstract painter. Over time however, Beksinski’s works began adopting more surrealist qualities. Although he never received any formal artistic training, his paintings have powerful compositions, beautiful use of colours, and rich textural details. His many, many paintings reflect an artist with a powerful desire to communicate his innermost thoughts. 

Beksinski found popularity in 1964, where he created more surrealistic, disturbing paintings. He made a name for himself as a contemporary Polish artist. During his first successful exhibition in Warsaw he commonly painted skeletons in barren landscapes and deformed figures. Despite his work looking very “dark” and unsettling, he commented that he considered his paintings to be optimistic and even humorous. At one point he burned a selection of works in his backyard claiming they were “too personal”. His art was often regarded as a forewarning of human fragility. Many of his paintings suggest themes of decay, mortality and “the ongoing struggle of life”. He also completed numerous religious surrealist paintings that had an incredibly unique atmosphere for the time. Ultimately we will never know Beksinski’s narrative that inspired his many mysterious works, as he never explained the meaning behind his paintings. Beksinski’s last few years were a far cry from peaceful. His wife passed away in 1998, followed by his son overdosing in 1999. In 2005 Beksinski met a sudden end when he was tragically found dead in his apartment with 17 stab wounds. 

What drew me to Beksinski’s art initially was the perpetual theme of mortality. Despite finding it disturbing, I couldn’t seem to look away. I think it’s clear from seeing Beksinski’s paintings that he spent immeasurable time by himself in his own mind, pondering, considering, and contemplating. I find it hard to perceive his paintings as optimistic and humorous, as he suggests he himself did. Beksinski is my favourite artist to date who I’ve written a blog about. Although there was less information on his life compared to the previous artists I researched, his paintings seemed to speak in his place. 

Sources:

—. “Zdzisław Beksiński.” Wikipedia, 20 Nov. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zdzis%C5%82aw_Beksi%C5%84ski.

Hemraj, Fatim. “The Tragic Life and Death of Surrealist Painter Zdzisław Beksiński.” Medium, 13 Mar. 2021, fatimhemraj.medium.com/the-tragic-life-and-murder-of-polish-surrealist-painter-zdzis%C5%82aw-beksi%C5%84ski-ae6a7ba1b4ce.

Profile, Guest. “Zdzisław Beksiński’s Passion for Music.” DailyArt Magazine, 25 Oct. 2021, www.dailyartmagazine.com/beksinski-music.

“Zdzislaw Beksinski – 707 Artworks – Painting.” Www.Wikiart.Org, www.wikiart.org/en/zdzislaw-beksinski/all-works#!#filterName:all-paintings-chronologically,resultType:masonry. Accessed 17 Nov. 2021.