Jan Dobkowski (b. 1942, Łomża), From the series "Universe XXXIX," 1992

Condition
Work mounted

Biography
Painter and printmaker. From 1962 to 1968, he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw in the Department of Painting under Prof. Juliusz Studnicki and Prof. Jan Cybis. He was a co-founder (along with Jerzy Jurry Zieliński) of the “Neo-Neo” group (1967–1970). Illustrator of Guillaume Apollinaire’s poems “The Menagerie, or the Retinue of Orpheus” (1963). In 1968, Dobkowski participated in the exhibition “Secesja-Secesja?” at the Contemporary Art Gallery in Warsaw, which generated significant interest among the media and critics. Following the success of that exhibition, his paintings were included in the prestigious exhibition “Polish Contemporary Painting: Sources and Explorations” in Paris. Soon after, the Guggenheim Museum in New York acquired his painting “Double Girl” (1968)—Dobkowski’s first red-and-green painting—for its collection. An entire series of paintings in this color scheme was created a year later, all painted in a uniform format of 200 x 150 cm. Against green backgrounds, red silhouettes of male and female figures appeared in various situations; the latter were most often voluptuous, caricaturally exaggerated in form. Women with multiple breasts shaped like apples or pears exuded a powerful sense of eroticism and sensuality. Some forms in Dobkowski’s paintings fluidly transformed into others: a woman’s breast became a plump apple, a heart became a sperm cell, and the spine and ribs became an organic, supple structure. The green color suggested nature, elemental vitality, and life. These paintings became the starting point for many spatial projects and subsequent series of paintings. During martial law, he participated in independent cultural initiatives. In 1972, he received a fellowship from the Kosciuszko Foundation in New York. He was the recipient of awards, including: the Cyprian Kamil Norwid Critics’ Award (1978); the Jan Cybis Award (1994) for his lifetime achievement.