Kirkut (1980) Printmaking by Jean Lawa

Born in 1936 in Poznan. Star sign ARIES. I finished primary and secondary school there, graduating in 1954. I then studied at the Polytechnic and the University in Poznan.

I then studied painting, graphics and stage design at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków until 1964. I then worked in theatres in Poland and Europe. In 1966 I was awarded the Minister of Culture's Prize in the field of theatre. My last premiere in Poland was "The Nutcracker" at the Warsaw Opera in 1973 and my last ever was in "ROMEA" with "Tirant lo Blanc". in Barcelona in 1988. 

When I was in the fourth semester of the academy, I was threatened with expulsion from the academy several times because of: 1/ a graphic exhibition in an organized group outside the academy and finally the closure of the exhibition by the militia because one of my drawings was suspected of being subversive.

2/ A happening: painting a large picture entitled "Allegory of Africa" ​​within three days. A gift for the planned Lumumba University in Moscow. It was a "coincidence" that the painting was created on an existing propaganda banner with portraits of the leaders of the revolution, and all this in a studio at the academy without the knowledge and permission of the party and the director. Until I got my diploma, I was a black sheep for the Academy's party organization.

3/ It was also illegal that I started working as a set designer before I graduated: in 1963 for the Pantomime Theater in Wrocław. At that time it was the only "export theater" in the country. I accompanied it on several trips abroad.

After receiving a scholarship from the Italian government and designing a set in Oslo, I switched to travel mode. This is how I learned about screen printing at the Academy in Munich. I was fascinated by the unique colors of this technique, even though it was the complete opposite of the lithography or painting I was already practicing. In the 1990s, my interest in this technique ran out and I returned to painting.

The idea for my work arises spontaneously, its form is flexible and its implementation encounters many purely technical problems that seem insoluble. To overcome the problem, all means are permitted: the type of paint, the tools and the style. After overcoming the problem, I am surprised that I have succeeded, but after a brief phase of euphoria, I am disappointed because it was not what I wanted. That was just another way of satisfying my curiosity. In French it is called 'La petite mort'... I had to keep looking.  

A characteristic of my work is that I rarely consider the pictures to be finished.

Fortunately, thanks to current technology, these attempts can be recorded. I find it difficult to part with my works, so the prices are only symbolic.

• Nationality: FRANCE
• Date of birth : unknown date
• Artistic domains: Works by professional artists,
• Groups: Professional Artist Contemporary French Artists