Jan Graczyk
Encyclopedia
Jan Graczyk was a Polish
sculptor, and the creator of Forest Gallery of Sculpture (Leśna Galeria Rzeźby).
near Warsaw
.
He spent his childhood in Czechowice, which has been later transformed into a district of Warsaw (Ursus). There, he attended Szkola Powszechna (which is the equivalent of the elementary school) in Czechowice between 1935 and 1942, simultaneously joining the ‘207th Mazovian Scout Movement’. Several years later he joined Grey Ranks (Zawiszacy troop), made a military pledge, and became a soldier of the underground polish resistance movement called Union for Armed Struggle, Obroza group.
In 1942 Jan was aprenticed in the department of the “Kolorowa” foundry, where he was learning model making in metal forms and in wood.
After the Warsaw Uprising
of 1944 started, he reported for the duty of defending his homeland in Sekcoin forests. In the aftermath of the Second World War, he helped other citizens in removing the rubble and reconstructing the destroyed city. Jan has also assisted in rebuilding the Ursus factory, where he was employed (department of mechanics) as a traser, modeler, and caster specialised in many branches of this profession (e.g. metal casting, sand casting). After a few years he was given a master degree in metal casting.
Fascinated by the beauty of the traditional Polish landscape, he bought a plot of land in Puszcza Bolimowska, near the river Rokita. In spite of the heavy workload and difficulty of the work, Jan and his relatives formed the land into multiple terraces and planted the trees and bushes. After the nature infused the life into the Jan's land, it became the inner sanctum of the artist. After retiring from his work, he founded the Forest Gallery in 1983 Ursus
. It became so famous and fabled that the trips from around the world were taken. A huge amount of guests visited Jan's Gallery. The extremely long list of visitors includes participants of school trips, scouts, arts students, and ordinary people, which have all signed in the commemorative book.
Cycle of works - Deformation
Cycle of works - Polish Devils
Before the Forest Gallery was opened, Polish and foreign media presented Jan Graczyk's sculptures. The artist's works can be found in private and national art collections (e.g. Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Holland, India, Italy, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, or the United States of America)
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
sculptor, and the creator of Forest Gallery of Sculpture (Leśna Galeria Rzeźby).
Biography
Jan Graczyk was born in 1928 in PiastowPiastów
Piastów is a town in central Poland, near Warsaw, with 23,331 inhabitants . It is situated in the Masovian Voivodship ; previously, it was in Warszawa Voivodship...
near Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
.
He spent his childhood in Czechowice, which has been later transformed into a district of Warsaw (Ursus). There, he attended Szkola Powszechna (which is the equivalent of the elementary school) in Czechowice between 1935 and 1942, simultaneously joining the ‘207th Mazovian Scout Movement’. Several years later he joined Grey Ranks (Zawiszacy troop), made a military pledge, and became a soldier of the underground polish resistance movement called Union for Armed Struggle, Obroza group.
In 1942 Jan was aprenticed in the department of the “Kolorowa” foundry, where he was learning model making in metal forms and in wood.
After the Warsaw Uprising
Warsaw Uprising
The Warsaw Uprising was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance Home Army , to liberate Warsaw from Nazi Germany. The rebellion was timed to coincide with the Soviet Union's Red Army approaching the eastern suburbs of the city and the retreat of German forces...
of 1944 started, he reported for the duty of defending his homeland in Sekcoin forests. In the aftermath of the Second World War, he helped other citizens in removing the rubble and reconstructing the destroyed city. Jan has also assisted in rebuilding the Ursus factory, where he was employed (department of mechanics) as a traser, modeler, and caster specialised in many branches of this profession (e.g. metal casting, sand casting). After a few years he was given a master degree in metal casting.
Fascinated by the beauty of the traditional Polish landscape, he bought a plot of land in Puszcza Bolimowska, near the river Rokita. In spite of the heavy workload and difficulty of the work, Jan and his relatives formed the land into multiple terraces and planted the trees and bushes. After the nature infused the life into the Jan's land, it became the inner sanctum of the artist. After retiring from his work, he founded the Forest Gallery in 1983 Ursus
Ursus (district in Warsaw)
Ursus is a district of Warsaw, one of the 18 such units into which the city is divided. Between 1952 and 1977 it a was separate city, a legacy of which are Ursus' poor road connections with the Warsaw city centre...
. It became so famous and fabled that the trips from around the world were taken. A huge amount of guests visited Jan's Gallery. The extremely long list of visitors includes participants of school trips, scouts, arts students, and ordinary people, which have all signed in the commemorative book.
Artistic interests
In spite of being employed in the Ursus factory, he devoted some of his precious time to his new passion – art. As he said: ‘Being fascinated in works of art I saw in many museums, I decided to try my innate artistic abilities’. Starting with oil and watercolour painting, Jan eventually ended up sculpting in wood. Human faces are the main theme of his works of art e.g. sad, cunning, thoughtful, intelligent, or distressed – almost always serious. As Jan said ‘Human face always shows a blank expression. It does not smile unless somebody else looks at it or someone looks at his own reflection in the mirror’. The artist's fine arts is expressive and deeply moving because of its simplicity and severity. His first works of art alluded to the Second World War, for instance, “The Flame of Freedom” or “The Old City Burning”. Jan` oeuvres also contain a series of sculptures of Polish poets (e.g. A. Mickiewicz, C.K. Norwid, J. Kochanowski) and Polish monarchs. His chisel seemed to have had a full insight into human's inner feelings and thoughts.Cycle of works - Deformation
Cycle of works - Polish Devils
Individual exhibitions
- 1972 – GdyniaGdyniaGdynia is a city in the Pomeranian Voivodeship of Poland and an important seaport of Gdańsk Bay on the south coast of the Baltic Sea.Located in Kashubia in Eastern Pomerania, Gdynia is part of a conurbation with the spa town of Sopot, the city of Gdańsk and suburban communities, which together...
, International marine club - 1972 – WarsawWarsawWarsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, Polish - Indy Club - 1973 – WarsawWarsawWarsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, Gallery TPSP Stara Kordegarda - 1973 – MińskMinsk- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
, National museum - 1976 – WarsawWarsawWarsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, Center of culture of Rose Luksemburg - Warsaw's BWA - 1977 – Wilno, Exhibition palace
- 2005 - Łódź, Botanical garden
- 2006 - WarsawWarsawWarsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, Ad-Hoc Gallery
Group exhibitions
- 1976 – KwidzynKwidzynKwidzyn is a town in northern Poland on the Liwa river, with 40,008 inhabitants . It has been a part of the Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999, and was previously in the Elbląg Voivodeship . It is the capital of Kwidzyn County.-History:...
, Dom Kultury, - 1976 – DreznoDreznoDrezno may refer to the following places:*Drezno, the Polish name for Dresden, Germany*Drezno, Masovian Voivodeship *Drężno, West Pomeranian Voivodeship...
(NRD), Exhibition Salon, - 1977 – WarsawWarsawWarsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, Gallery TPSP Stara Kordegarda - 2006 - WarsawWarsawWarsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, Bemowo City-hall - 2007 - WarsawWarsawWarsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, National Library
Before the Forest Gallery was opened, Polish and foreign media presented Jan Graczyk's sculptures. The artist's works can be found in private and national art collections (e.g. Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Holland, India, Italy, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, or the United States of America)
Medals
- The Cross of the Home Army
- The Cross of the Warsovian Uprising
- The Cross of the Polish Scouting and Guiding Association
- The Golden Order of Honour
- Order of Developing the Cultural Heritage