Artists Books Research 6

Portraits

MARIUSZ KALDOWSKI

Mariusz was born in Poland, 1962.  Kaldowski is now a graphic designer, print maker and painted and lives in Westerham in Kent. He graduated in 1987 from the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow with a MA in Fine Arts.

Mariusx has been creating and successfully exhibiting his work since 1996, when he came to the UK. He had held 153 exhibitions in the UK, 104 solo exhibitions, 96 groups shows and 200 shows, 47 of which were exhibitions.

Kaldowski began a project name "Velis Passis" in 1993 which was completed in 1996. His project consists of a series of portraits of famous Poles who have inspired Mariusz through their achievements; these portraits had taken a couple of years to complete. "Velis Passis" is an exceptional set of portraits of a group of individuals who were helpful to the Polish cultural and political revolution. He used inventive and wide brush strokes which focus mainly on the facial features.

Mariusz decided to ask people that effected his spiritual life to pose for him. People who had a positive attitude to life, who were brave and also successful impressed Kaldowski, therefore he also painted them too. On his own website, Kaldowski Gallery, he which he designed himself, Kaldowski has states “Through meeting such individuality the chains of stereotypes of painting technique and portrait composition break. Here, this specific way of manifesting the personality dictates or even imposes the artistic solutions.”

Kaldowski’s work show a number of colours combines together however the dominant theme colour is still observable. 

I intend to take this technique as a great inspiration when using colours such as purple and blue as the most dominant colours. I will make use of plenty of different shades of different colours in hope to obtain a similar approach to painting portraits like Kaldowski.