Zakrzewski takes the elements of the classic Constructivist/Suprematist vocabulary—bars, circles, squares, triangles, diagonal lines—and makes them dance to a very personal tune, with decidedly emotional overtones. Each painting is filled with an abundance of these elements, orchestrated in many contrapuntal layers. Untitled (8/21), 1983, the earliest painting in the exhibition, is a square composition of geometric forms outlined in white against a black ground, the surface of which appears to sway before one’s eyes. The individual forms here give the illusion of simultaneously pulling back and pushing forward, an effect heightened by the subtle modeling of the outlines and by the gestural brushstrokes visible in the ground. In Untitled (1/4), 1987, Zakrzewski investigates the issue of illusion in abstraction through the opposition and interdependence of color and form. Colored shapes of various sizes, including squares, rectangles, bars, circles, and zigzags, cover the surface of the canvas and create a mobile space in which scale and depth function as dynamic elements, producing a sense of boundless energy and of ceaseless movement. Zakrzewski’s works reveal how the aspirations for a universal art based on pure form, which led artists such as Malevich to enter the realm of nonobjective expression away from any direct imitation of reality, continues to inspire.
www.ftn-books.com has 2 Zakrzewski publications available.
