Janina Wierusz Kowalska

Janina Wierusz Kowalska

Location: Poland

Janina Wierusz Kowalska comes from a family boasting artistic talents. One of her ancestors, Alfred Jan Wierusz Kowalski was an apprentice of Joseph Brandt and a great Polish painter, who represented the Munich School with a title of ‘honorary professor of the Munich Academy of Fine Arts’.

She studied Industrial Design and Painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow. She founded and supervised The School of Visual Arts, for which she created her own program, connecting the Socratic idea of creative dialoque with the universal, interdisciplinary education based on great ideas of Bauhaus. She practices painting, drawing, textile installation and photography. She sporadically and selectively designs interiors of both public and private buildings while treating each and every project as a unique and inimitable piece of art. She participated in art events and exhibitions, including: Buenos Aires (UTPBA) - 1996, Brussels (Galerie Art-Pol) - 2000,Warsaw (Katarzyna Napiórkowska's Gallery of Contemporary Arts) - 2001, ?ywiec (The Old Castle) - 2004, Bielsko-Bia?a (Gallery BWA) - 1994, 1995, Warsaw (Gallery Zapiecek) "Amici di Tworki" - 2002, 2005, Warsaw "The painting of the year" the competition of Art & Business 2002. Being the autor of essays and outlines on the theory of art she reveals her passion for writing. She is a member of A.P.A.J.T.E. - Polish Association of Authors, Journalists and Translators, the headquartes of which functions in Paris. She cooperates with the "Amici di Tworki", association whose workings have been incorporated into the "Schizophrenia - Open The Doors".


Portfolio:

Paintings

From the artist
With presenting examples of my painting I express hope, that they will attract viewer’s interest. These works constitute only part of my artistic output and they are the result of giving a serious thought, supported by an intensive preparatory work. Along with the gradual maturation of my painting, the awareness of the truth about today’s visual world, that is also the archaic world in its timeless values, has also matured in my mind. Over the time, I learned to express that truth, with more and more universal and synthetic language. I have a deep desire for my paintings to have the maximum impact, but impact not extracted through improvisation, but within the context of project accomplishment. This aspect is defined by the rules of the natural world. Within the process of creation, I keep being fascinated by proportions, balance and harmony, which are the fundamental truths of the spiritual world. In my opinion, the line, plane and colour, adhere to the realism to the same extent as the landscapes, objects and images, and abstraction becomes a reality on par with the painted genre scene. It is
a matter of choice and interpretation of those elements of reality, the existence of which we are often not even aware of, as they are of such a little importance to us. But when they happen to be noticed, they gain the power to agitate the imagination.

Series VIII, Bills, 110x205cm, acrylic on canvas. Price: $18000 “Series VIII, Bills, 110x205cm, acrylic on canvas. Price: $18000”

Picture does not show in a clear manner any concrete reality, but it implies an analogy with the beaks of birds that can not break through the abstraction barrier. This suggestion is emphasized by the hard and sharp forms, and the sharp contrast of the two opposing values of color.

Series VIII, White ribbons, 144x204cm, acrylic on canvas. Price: $18000 “Series VIII, White ribbons, 144x204cm, acrylic on canvas. Price: $18000”

Picture inspired by variable forms of waving ribbons, that in each of the positions are subordinated in the same way as all the elements of visible world, geometry and laws of motion. The Author gained the equilibrium of composition through the synthesis of form, and applied restriction on the range of colors, to black and white. Harmony, on the other hand emerged by application of hues of these colors; black is not quite as black, and white is not a pure white.

Series VIII, Duo, 145x204cm, acrylic on canvas. Price: $17000 “Series VIII, Duo, 145x204cm, acrylic on canvas. Price: $17000”

The picture is a dynamic composition with highly charged expression. It was achieved by using for synthetic rhythmic forms, the strongly contrasting colors of black and white. The entirety, creates the impression of suggestive, undulating motion.

Series VII, Small stairs, 100x70cm, acrylic on cardboard. Price: $4000 “Series VII, Small stairs, 100x70cm, acrylic on cardboard. Price: $4000”

Theme of the picture is a pretext to express dynamism and illusion of the three-dimensionality. The curvatures of lines imply faults, and climbing up, or falling down. Two strong, warm colors: green and red, are clipped together by Neapolitan off-white stripes, which illuminate the entirety, and underline the purity of colors. The three-dimensionality is also achieved by adding thrown shadows.

Series VII, Balance, 100x70cm, acrylic on cardboard. Price: $4000 “Series VII, Balance, 100x70cm, acrylic on cardboard. Price: $4000”

This picture shows a story about the meeting of two strong and decisive colors, that interact actively. However, none of them dominates within the space of the painting, because they are enslaved by densification of rods, which organize the space within the canvas.

Series VI, Poirot, 100x70cm, acrylic on cardboard. Price: $4000 “Series VI, Poirot, 100x70cm, acrylic on cardboard. Price: $4000”

Elegance of shapes and matter of Art-deco era, strong but noble colors, a memory of "Poirot" film, caused a compelling need for visual reconstruction of such a climate, translated into the language of modern painting.

Series IV, Bamboos, 145x204cm, acrylic on canvas. Price: $19000 “Series IV, Bamboos, 145x204cm, acrylic on canvas. Price: $19000”

Picture refers to the beauty and the rules of the world of nature, beauty of plants. By synthesis of form of the composition, the author chose the colors, that seemingly relegate these forms from the nature. However the harmony of composition and its visual sense, confirm the analogy with nature. The rule of the world of nature functions in the world of shapes, within the ideal principles of proportions.

Series I, Eclipse, 120x160cm, acrylic on canvas. Price: $7000 “Series I, Eclipse, 120x160cm, acrylic on canvas. Price: $7000”

This picture may arouse associations with the eclipse of the sun, because the first plan consisting of a dark, fairly aggressive and expansive forms, is obscured by luminous plan, which becomes, because of that, less visible, and appears to be distant.

Series II, Ropes, 120x200cm, acrylic on canvas. Price: $15000 “Series II, Ropes, 120x200cm, acrylic on canvas. Price: $15000”

Hanging ropes, or the jets of rain, it is the matter of interpretation. Lines of paint were squeezed out straight from the tube, maintaining a circular cross-section, they highlight the impression of three-dimensionality. " Ropes " being of pure pastel colors , seem to compete with the sharp, clear, and cold navy blue and black background, to make a dynamic impact on the emotions of the viewer.

Series I, Jungle, 100x150cm, acrylic on canvas. Price: $7000 “Series I, Jungle, 100x150cm, acrylic on canvas. Price: $7000”

In this picture the world of virgin jungle, thicket, mysterious depth, stuffy and humid air, were transformed into the shapes as dense rhythms, formally organized. These rhythms are the touches of life, singing, the sounds of gallop, strokes of heavy rain. The tone of picture expresses the richness and severity of wild nature.

Series I, Second Plan, 100x70cm, acrylic on canvas. Price: $7000 “Series I, Second Plan, 100x70cm, acrylic on canvas. Price: $7000”

The picture may refer to the world of pretences, but it can also be perceived successfully as the work of art deprived of sense, the abstract picture composition, with a cool interaction of two planes. The foreground, that interprets the picture description, says that in the world of pretences, everything is more important than the essence of the matter.

Series I, Tension, 100x160cm, acrylic on canvas. Price $8000 “Series I, Tension, 100x160cm, acrylic on canvas. Price $8000”

In this picture, two layers of painting matter are superimposed on each other. The active visually background is a system of three horizontal rectangles, of strong, but consistent colors. On the background there is a tense openwork design, made of squeezed out, straight from the tube, creamy-white paint. The texture of squeezed out paint increases the dynamics and three-dimensionality of image.

Series I, Favourite, 85x140cm, acrylic on canvas. Price: $8000 “Series I, Favourite, 85x140cm, acrylic on canvas. Price: $8000”

In this picture the author draws attention to those elements of the visible world, which in the perception of the world, do not play the leading roles, these are shadow or light. But they, after all, in a fundamental way affect the color and form. And even the forms that organize this work of art, are very rigorous, they undergo the lyrical influence of painted illusion of light, that purifies colors and boosts the power of expression.

Series I, Compound construction, 123x203cm, acrylic on canvas. Price: $18000 “Series I, Compound construction, 123x203cm, acrylic on canvas. Price: $18000”

In this picture the magic of perspective, allows the expression of maximum spatiality within the framework of two-dimensional canvas. Open-work forms captured within the four-point perspective, suggest distance between the elements. The subtle grays with red accents, remain towards each other, in the balance of color, which highlights the architectural seriousness of the composition.

Series V, Red and blue ribbons,140x204cm, acrylic on canvas. Price: $17000 “Series V, Red and blue ribbons,140x204cm, acrylic on canvas. Price: $17000”

The theme of the picture arose from the fascination with rules that govern nature, science and art. The
shapes in nature are always arranged in accordance to the designed order. The author, in her work of art, shows the care for balance of shapes and color, treating it as the basis of aesthetic and spiritual beauty. The basic element of harmony of the entirety is a strong contrast between the two dominant colors of similar color intensity.

Series V, Banana ribbons, 144x204cm, acrylic on canvas. Price: $17000 “Series V, Banana ribbons, 144x204cm, acrylic on canvas. Price: $17000”

The pattern full of tensions, presents the observed nature, the powers of which shape the harmonious forms. Dark background of the picture is drawn back into distant space, to give priority to the undulating ribbons and saturated colors.

Series IV, Carnival in Venice, 154x204cm, acrylic on canvas. Price: $18000 “Series IV, Carnival in Venice, 154x204cm, acrylic on canvas. Price: $18000”

Picture expresses the atmosphere of the feast, the uniqueness, in the aura of glitter and illumination. Two simple forms seized in convergent perspective, seen from below, highlighted by the mysterious greenish light, are somewhat reminiscence of a Venetian Carnival, elegant and mysterious recurring event, entered into the cultural tradition of Italy and Europe.