Franciszek Starowieyski (1930-2009), Nude, 1988

pastel, paper; 49 x 63.5 cm in st. p-p;
signed and dated. at bottom: FS [tied initial] / 1688 in [letter in circle].

Provenance:
- collection of Wojciech Fibak
- private collection, Poland

Inspiration of Baroque art was one of the determinants of Franciszek Starowieyski's work. The artist antidated his works by 300 years, starting in 1970. Skulls, bones or bird heads appear in his paintings. Close to turpism, the compositions, deformations introduced by the artist, were often provocative. An excellent draughtsman and master of posters, he freely used the grotesque and metaphor. In Starowieyski's paintings, referring to surrealism, the theme of the human body and the inevitability of transience recurs.