Tuesday 27 October 2015

Wojciech Fangor

Few month ago I heard the first time about Wojciech Fangor, a Polish artist, and this was in relation to some of my mildly feministic comments on a post about Australian Archibald Award 2015.

I googled the artist and it helped me to recall some of his work from childhood memories. There were communistic times, which we in Poland called socialism. Communism was in Russia in Poles minds, we had only socialism. However, Poland was oppressed and art had to support the ideology of the communistic rulers. In those times, artists work to be published, exhibited, staged etc had to support and glorify the communistic ideology.  Artists had to create their art to a recipe of communism. Fangor was one of them. Naturally such people were frowned upon by those who sacrificed their careers to protect integrity. My first reaction to Fangor was negative. I remembered his posters. Hush, the Enemy Is Listening poster was everywhere. I remember it from grammar school. The enemies were all people from the “rotten west”. I was supposed to keep secrets from them. Only I have not met any for some years, so I was not tmpted. What stayed in me though was a tendency to diminish in my mind work of those artists who made too big careers in the communistic times. Fangor did. So I almost automatically dismissed him, but the painting which was brought to my attention in the course of the blogging conversation was good. I had to admit it. Its ideological expression is most likely missed or misunderstood today. The times are over, or are they?   
               
                          Image result for fangor

                                         Early posters of Fangor with communistic message.  

Yesterday the Law and Justice Party took over power in Poland. A very sad day for me. I worry for the country that was developing so beautifully. The party has its strong views on many things. My views rarely are the same. They declare that art is to serve their ideology; no decadent ideas will be given free rein. I can expect even more monuments of John Paul II and the late president Kaczynski, the twin brother of the leader of the victorious party, more books on the “right” subjects, more pictures, plays and films supporting the conviction of the party and its ruler. The times of the art serving the rulers are coming back with the vengeance.

Back to Fangor. He died yesterday, age 93. I am glad that I did not dismiss him as a post communistic relict and googled some more to find many paintings I love. There are two examples.

Pieta after El Greco
                         Image result for fangor autumn
He had a remarkable career and he left valuable legacy. Warsaw metro stations have its names and entrances designed by him. He is considered to be a father of Polish poster school even if it started in support of communism.


This is what I am still mulling over. Do artists have a right to create in support of ideology they disagree with or even despise? Ideology that hurts and kills people? Does it make them responsible for the harm? Is art free of such responsibilities?
Image result for fangor metro warszawa
Names of Warsaw metro stations designed by Fangor




And to finish the story, he died in  2015 in Warsaw and is berried at the cemetery of Powaski in Warsaw as a celebrated artist.  The last piece of art, this time dedicated to him is his grave monument. I like this artistic expression of farewell to him. This is by K.Bednarski.

                                               
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6 comments:

  1. Rummuser27 October 2015 at 22:26

    This is a highly emotional subject that evokes extreme views from all corners. My late wife was a painter of some repute and I always maintained that I married the painter not the paintings. I either like or dislike art of all kind and will not be able to justify as to why I do one or the other. Having said that, my stated position is that artists, writers and others of their ilk, ie, the creative types should work for a living and do exactly what others who do so do in all matters of social life.

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  2. My Observations28 October 2015 at 08:30

    I respond to art in a similar way to you. Difficult to explain most of the time why I like a piece of music or a painting. Easier with books or films.
    I am glad that Fangor was not that scrupulous about who he created for. He survived hard times creating good art after all. Still have a dilemma that will perhaps not be solved.

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  3. pharlap29 October 2015 at 22:46

    Few more Fangor paintings and comments (in Polish) are here - https://ewamaria2013texts.wordpress.com/2015/03/22/metro-fangor-sowa-i-will-barnet/
    Socrealism was the name of art promoted in communist system. Some artists stil managed to create good works.
    I was amused by a speech of famous Soviet writer M. Sholochov on XX Congress of the Soviet Communist party.
    Comrades - he said - as writers living in the leading communist country we are in privilleged position. Whatever we write is better than things written in other countries simply because we are describing reality of most progressive system. Unfortunatelly some comrades are abusing their privilleged position and writing very poor books.

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  4. My Observations30 October 2015 at 08:03

    The logic of Sholochov is brilliant. I think he really meant it, being totally blinded by the system. In such case I forgive him the silly statement.

    Thinking further on the subject of creating for a political system, I came to leadership and responsibility. Fangor was a leader in his field and he deliberately mislead people using his art. Take his Figures. He was telling people what was good and what was bad. West was bad. In 1966 he migrated to the States and stayed there. Was it self-punishment? Don't think so.

    I am coming to conclusion that I need to take art at its face value. Any thoughts?

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    Replies
    1. pharlap30 October 2015 at 20:04

      I do noy think Sholohov was blinded, rather he got a good sense of humour.
      As for artists working for their living (Rummuser's suggestion) - until the end of XVIII century over 90% of European art was created to satisfy powerful sponsors, mostly Catholic church. Somehow is served the art vewy well.
      Trouble with socrealism was, that it wasn't satisfied with general idea, but produced very detailed instructions.
      How far leading socrealism artists compromised their personal views? Difficult to say. Polish Nobel Prize winner in literature W. Szymborska stated, that she she honestly believed in whatever she had praised before 1956.

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  5. My Observations31 October 2015 at 08:59

    OOps, I did not get it. Must have been blinded myself.

    I agree with your views, but as a true idealist, still have some issues.

    Searching my own behaviour under communistic rules, I was in no opposition to it. Did not know any better and did not want my life complicated. I could have seen more than I decided to see. I knew families of people in prison for Kultura Paryska. I saw half of my uni colleagues disappearing to Israel over a short period of time. I did not ask myself many questions then. Still, Fangor's art to support the system is not, in my mind the same as Szymborska's story.

    Love the blog of Ewa Maria, thank you.

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