Henryk Szydlowski
Szydlowski creates a whimsical world inhabited by round birds, striped trees and puppet-like people; a place where flights of fancy take us into a delighted realm of rich colour and shimmering glazes. The artist sets the stage and directs his characters on it then allows the viewer to interpret the action. Each painting is constructed in layers that compose a story; one that develops while the image evolves. We are invited to discover the artist’s narrative or invent our own. Meanwhile poetic titles provide a point of entry to the fantasy and guide us through the painting.
The charm of his work cannot disguise Szydlowski’s excellent, considered command of composition and technique, the core of his signature style. The artist combines a respect for his cultural heritage with an understanding of classical drawing and selected aspects of modern art to produce a fantastic place and space where everyone is welcome to enter and help make the magic.
He casts his spell by employing a vocabulary of personal symbols that are easily translated as they refer to universal concepts. The bird represents a sense of freedom, a single tree suggests the broader landscape, while the puppet-like figures are whoever we, the viewers, want them to be. These motifs, together with fine black lines, gold and silver leaf, are arranged in harmony with vivid hues, and held secure by the balanced design of composition.
Szydlowski is well aware that good art will communicate across barriers of time and culture. He is a painter who comes to his canvas with a desire to make something beautiful. He is an artist who has no interest in competing with contemporaries, preferring instead to set his own goals. He is an individual who believes that if current dictates of art prevent him from making paintings people can enjoy, he will ignore them. After all, rules change but good art is constant.
Judith McGrath - Melbourne
Front cover: Story of the Flying Carpet Oil on canvas 90 x 120 cm $22,500
Colourful House in the Green Village Oil on canvas 60 x 75 cm $12,500
Farmers of the Colourful Flower Oil on canvas 120 x 90 cm $22,500
Portrait in Red Oil on canvas 75 x 60 cm $12,500
Night in the Red Hot City Oil on canvas 90 x 120 cm $22,500
Night in the Red Hill Oil on canvas 60 x 75 cm $12,500
Moonlight House Oil on canvas 75 x 60 cm $12,500
“Blue, the colour of both a fathomless midnight sky and the illuminating dawn. Blue, the perfect backdrop for my red hills and those that shelter and play beneath them.”
Blue Night in the Red Hills Oil on canvas 60 x 75 cm $12,500
“My red house is set in a world of fantasy surrealism. A multicoloured keyline, doors, windows and my symbol of New Zealand’s native ponga tree all flourish and thrive under the spell of a silver night.”
Silver Night in the Red House Oil on canvas 60 x 75 cm $12,500
“Paintings are the door to my dreams, my colourful, energetic, imaginary world. A world of visual narrative which invites the viewer to join the fantasy.”
Story of the Flying Carpet Oil on canvas 90 x 120 cm $22,500
“On a field of green the symbols of my imagination dance. The white flower, from which my painting takes its title is counter-balanced by a floating triangle of gold and red. The flower created by nature, the pyramid by man, flow from my brush to the canvas.”
Farmer of the White Flower Oil on canvas 60 x 75 cm $12,500
“My works are about my dreams; these dreams are represented by a visual poetry of composition, colour, shape and illusion. Together these components form a harmonised, never-ending visual theatre.”
Farmer of the Night Flower in the Yellow Hills Oil on canvas 90 x 120 cm $22,500
Spring in the Birds Hill Oil on canvas 60 x 75 cm $12,500
Sunrise in the Valley Oil on canvas
x 30 cm $5,950
Night Stalkers in Blue Oil on canvas 30 x 30 cm $5,950
Sunset Stalkers Oil on canvas
x 30 cm $5,950
Story of the Colourful Birds Oil on canvas
$5,950
Poetry of the Time Maker Oil on canvas 75 x 60 cm $12,500
Farmers of the Yellow Bird Oil on canvas 75 x 60 cm $12,500
Stalkers of the White Bird Oil on canvas 60 x 75 cm $12,500
Dreamers from the Village in Red Oil on canvas 65 x 80 cm $12,950
1977
Oils Euchamer Gallery, Poland
1978 Oils Muzeum Ziemi Olkuskiej Gallery, Olkusz, Poland
Oils Gwarek Gallery, Olkusz, Poland
Oils B.W.A. Gallery, Bytom, Poland
Oils Association of Journalists Gallery, Poland
1980 Graphics John Leech Galleries, Auckland,
Oils John Leech Galleries, Auckland
1981 Graphics and Oils
Settlement Gallery, Wellington, Graphics Studio Gallery, Hamilton
Graphics John Leech Galleries, Auckland
1982
Oils John Leech Galleries, Auckland, Graphics John Leech Galleries, Auckland, Graphics and Oils Settlement Gallery, Wellington
1982-83 Graphics Touring Exhibition, Societies
Oils John Leech Galleries, Auckland
1984 Oils Thornton Gallery, Hamilton
Solo Exhibitions
1985 Oils and manifest of “Credo” style R.K.S. Gallery
Oils and Graphics
John Leech Galleries, Auckland
Graphics Seijoh Gallery, Sendai, Japan
1986 Oil and Graphics Prism Art Galleries, Fremantle, Australia
1987 Oils and Graphics
Alexander Galleries, Perth, Australia
1988 Graphics and Oils
Holdsworth Gallery, Sydney, Australia
Oils John Leech Galleries, Auckland,
Graphics Seijoh Gallery, Sendai, Japan
Oils Charlotte H. Gallery
1989 Oils and Graphics Vincent Gallery, Adelaide, Australia
Oils John Leech Gallery, Auckland
Oils and Graphics
Holdsworth Gallery, Sydney, Australia
Oils, Graphics and Watercolours
Charlotte H. Gallery, Graphics and Oils
Goodridge Gallery, Perth, Australia
1990 Graphics Seijoh Gallery, Sendai, Japan
Graphics Crystal Gallery, Morioka City, Japan
Oils Goodridge Galleries, Perth, Australia
Oils John Leech Galleries, Auckland
1991 Oils Holdsworth Galleries, Sydney, Australia
Oils Charlotte H. Gallery, Auckland, New Zealand
Oils Chapman Gallery, Canberra, Australia
Oils Goodridge Galleries, Perth, Australia
1992 Oils John Leech Gallery, Auckland
Oils Flinders Lane Gallery, Melbourne, Australia
1993 Oils John Leech Gallery, Auckland
Oils Holdsworth Galleries, Sydney, Australia.
Graphics Galeria Pod Zlotym
Lewkiem, Krakow, Poland
Oils Dobson Bashford Gallery, Christchurch
Oils Chapman Gallery, Canberra, Australia
Oils Gomboc Gallery, Perth, Australia
1994
Oils The Gallery of Fine Art, Perth, Australia
Oils Holdsworth Gallery, Sydney, Australia
1995
1996
Oils International Art Centre, Oils Delshan Gallery, Melbourne, Australia
Oils Dobson Bashford Gallery, Christchurch
Oils Holdsworth Gallery, Sydney, Australia
1997 Oils Gaugin Gallery, Singapore
Oils Barry Stern Gallery, Sydney, Australia
Oils Delshan Gallery, Melbourne, Australia
Oils International Art Centre, Auckland, New Zealand
1998
1999
Oils Barry Stern Gallery, Sydney, Australia
Oils Monarch Art Gallery, Singapore
Oils Barry Stern Gallery, Sydney, Australia
Oils Delshan Gallery, Melbourne, Australia
2000 Oils International Art Centre, Oils Barry Stern Gallery, Sydney, Australia
2001 Oils International Art Centre, Christchurch, New Zealand
Oils Barry Stern Gallery,
2002
Oils Delshan Gallery, Melbourne, Australia
2003 Oils Stafford Studios of Fine Art, Cottesloe, Australia
Oils International Art Centre, Wellington
Oils International Art Centre, Auckland
Oils Barry Stern Gallery, Sydney, Australia
2004 Oils Delshan Gallery, Melbourne, Australia
Oils Barry Stern Gallery, Australia
2006
Oils Delshan Gallery, Melbourne, Australia
Oils Stafford Studios of Fine Art, Cottesloe, Australia
2007 Oils Dobson Bashford Gallery, Christchurch, New Zealand
2008 Oils Delshan Gallery, Melbourne, Australia
2009 Oils International Art Centre, Auckland
2011 Oils Manyung at Glenferrie, Melbourne, Australia
Oils Wentworth Galleries, Sydney, Australia
2013 Oils Wentworth Galleries, Sydney, Australia
2014 Oils Gallows Gallery, Mosman Park, Australia
2015 Oils International Art Centre, Auckland
1950 Born 23 of March, Jawor Poland
1964-69 Attended High School of Fine Arts, JaroslawPoland. Lecturers E. Kifferling, S. Kucia, W. Sliwinski, S. Stelmasik and I. Oryl
1969 Graduated from High School of Fine Arts, awarded art prize
1969-78 Attended Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow, Poland. Professors C. Rzepinski, A. Siwecki, J. Kochanowski, and S. Wojtyna.
Awarded Master of Fine Arts Degree. Painted & exhibited in Poland
1978-85 Painted & exhibited in New Zealand & overseas
1982 Henryk Szydlowski developed a new printing technique which he named Polprint (Polish Print). His technique gained worldwide recognition by artists and critics
Time Line
1985 Lectured at Whitecliffe Art
1985-90 Painted & exhibited in Australia & overseas
1989-93 Lectured at Claremont School of Fine Arts, Perth
1990 Awarded membership of the Japanese Art Publishing Institute
1996 Collection Stamp Release, Tribute paid by Who’s Who in International Art, Lausanne, Switzerland
1998 Offciallyappointedthe title of Professor Henryk Szydlowski by the Accademia Internazionale Greci Marino, Accademia Del Verbano, di Lettere, Arti, Scienze, Vercelli, Italy
1999 Featured in the 1999 Who’s Who in International Art “Great Names and Newcomers in 20th Century Art”. Membership of the Art Addiction International Art Association, Stockholm, Sweden
2000 Awarded the highest title of Academical Offcial Knight by the Accademia Internazionale Greci Marino, Accademia Del Verbano, di Lettere, Arti, Scienze, Vercelli, Italy. Celebration de l’annee Stamp Release, ‘Artistes et Maitres’, Who’s Who in International Art, Lausanne, Switzerland
2003 World of Art Books published a book titled “Door to the Dreams” (Masters of Today Series)
2004 Continues to exhibit and sell internationally
Contacts
Frances Davies 09 366 6045
fran@artcntr.co.nz 027 4936 360
Richard Thomson 09 379 4010
richard@artcntr.co.nz 0274 751071
Trish Young - James Watkins
trish@artcntr.co.nz james@artcntr.co.nz 09 366 6045
World Wide Delivery
272 Parnell Road Parnell Auckland +64 +9 366 6045 www.internationalartcentre.co.nz fran@artcntr.co.nz