These workshops focus on recent history and social issues. We will examine the period of the People’s Republic of Poland and Poland’s political transformation through the lens of Edward Dwurnik’s work. We will analyze the Socialist Realist vision of the world and contrast it with the artist’s own commentary (the “Workers” series). This is a lesson about the changes that took place over the decades, about how Polish society took shape, and about how art becomes a powerful tool for taking a critical look at recent history. The entire session takes place in the exhibition halls. During the session, we use interactive methods, read source texts, and work with worksheets.
EDWARD DWURNIK. PRIDE AND SHAME
Edward Dwurnik was a painter who, rather than depicting important leaders, preferred to portray ordinary people—on their way to work, on the street, or while resting. The exhibition features many of his expressive, sometimes humorous, and sometimes very serious paintings from the 1970s and 1980s (mainly from the famous series “Athletes” and “Workers”). The artist painted the world without embellishment. He depicted fatigue, the struggles of everyday life, but also the emotions mentioned in the title: great pride and shame. We’ll also see contemporary paintings by Patryk Różycki, who depicted his memories of growing up in the Polish countryside.
