Kacper and Anka 2009
I had seen a couple of Wilhelm Sasnal's pieces before but never understood the reason behind his alluring paintings. I think the only way to fully appreciate his work is to see it first hand.
The collection was of recent works by the Polish artist and as soon as I stepped into the gallery I was instantly in awe.
It was evident that Sasnal uses photography as a reference to his work. The images themselves were very powerful,yet they also celebrated painting as an exercise.
I think the element that ties Sasnal's evocative use of photography and painting is light. There is a stark contrast between light an shadow in his paintings. Where some painters use softer alternative tones to create light and shadow, Sasnal is not afraid to use true black and white.
You can see this clearly in Kacper and Anka, a haunting yet beautiful image that works as an image or a narration.
There is a strong possible story behind this scene yet I chose to leave it as a mystery. I did not want to taint the beauty of the image with my interpretations.
Although Sasnal's paintings are concerned with themes of high culture and mass media, these were unimportant to me. I found his work enchanting. I realised that I had stood in front of some of the canvas's for ages, that I had become transfixed...hypnotised almost. I didn't really question the subject, I was simply absorbed by the scenes he painted.
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