The Underground Man
Painting
ID:
1840
Number in cycle:
162
Ending number:
872
Date:
June 1983
Medium:
acrylic; canvas;oil
Dimensions:
146 cm x 114 cm
Description:
The Underground Man aroused big controversy in the Polish artistic milieu. Edward had always been a sharp stirrer. He didn't care about other people's opinions and when something irritated him, he painted a work on it at once. When I repeated to him that he shouldn't paint ironic works about the Polish underground, matters only got worse. All compulsion caused rejection, both the restrictions of freedom under communism and the compulsory spirited fight at the time of martial law. Edward was on the side of the fighting, of course. But he can't be forced into any common initiatives. When he presented this painting the whole Polish artistic world felt offended. Konstanty Gebert describes the details of this conflict in an essay Warsaw, 25th June 1983. The Underground Man (Ten Days of Europe, published by Świat Książki, Warsaw, 2004).
(T.G.)
I never cared about big words and gestures. I was concentrated on my creative work. I fought for freedom with my paintings. That is why I exhibited also during martial law. If there was censorship, I tried to omit it, cheat it. I was censored many times but I didn't make it a scandal. Many others aroused scandals all the time. They were in the underground, but everybody knew, everything was for show. Additionally, they tried to terrorize others. It irritated me. That's why my underground man resembles Fidel Castro, who did a spectacular revolution and terrorized others. And the people sneer and spit because they've had it, they want to live in peace. There weren't many really positive participants of all that.
(E.D.)
Owner type:
private
Tags:
communism ;man;martial law ;Poland;Polish people;society
