Zdzisław BEKSIŃSKI (1929 - 2005), Untitled, 1972

oil, fiberboard; 122 x 98 cm;
Signed and dated on reverse: BEKSIŃSKI 1972
On the reverse:
- number:16
- sticker on the loom

Provenance:
private collection, Poland

The appearance of this painting in a public offering, can confidently be considered an event on the domestic auction market. Zdzislaw Beksinski's oeuvre from the first half of the 1970s is one of the most recognizable and appreciated phenomena in 20th century Polish art. During this period, the artist developed a distinctive painting language based on monumental visions of landscape, organic-architectural forms and an evocative atmosphere of anxiety and metaphysical emptiness.
The offered composition represents precisely this key stage nowadays referred to as the "fantastic period."

The central element of the painting is a vertical quasi-architectural form framed by a broad landscape. Beksinski builds the space using subtle tonal transitions, laser-like layers of paint and a precisely worked surface texture. The dominant range of brown and grayish tones, reinforces the impression of timelessness and the artist's characteristic vision of a world outside of a specific narrative or history.

The artist often signed his paintings only on the back, giving his name and the year the work was created. A surviving exhibition sticker indicates the painting's connection to the activities of Warsaw's "Ruch" Contemporary Gallery, which organized important painting presentations in the 1970s, including Beksinski's work. Analogous markings appear on other documented works from this period.

The composition shows clear stylistic analogies to the group of monumental metaphysical landscapes created by the artist in 1971-1973. Works from this period are now in museum collections and major private collections, achieving impressive quotations on the Polish auction market. The large format, Beksinski's classic vision of landscape and excellent painterly technique place the work in the group of collector's gems.