Diverse are the paths of the contemporary art. Some artists persistently look for a new form and means of expression so they always experiment; for others a radical negation of traditional art of the '60s has become the main goal. Their para-artistic actions, done with the use of different media, could rightfully be called a practical philosophy, forms of social activity or meta-criticism whose subject is the state of contemporary cultural output of humanity. There is still, however, a large number of artists faithful to the traditional ethos of art, those who do not give up classical fields: painting, sculpture, drawing or graphics.
One thing which can be seen in the works of young artists and which I have followed with no small astonishment is the return to the trends from the beginnings of the 20th century. Especially those which had presupposed revolutionary avant-garde like: cubism, fauvism, and expressionism. Although, there are still traditionalists who go even further back into the past, and follow such trends as symbolism, romanticism, baroque and even the Quattro cento. What these opposite and sometimes antagonistic attitudes in contemporary art have in common is self-consciousness that accompanies artistic practice. Contemporary artist can practically draw from any existing traditional art forms (not only western), and choose any language of plastic expression. But, even if he does it only for himself, he has to justify his choice. In other words, he has to know not only what he is doing, but also why he is doing it this and not the other way. It could be that this distinct paraphrasing of old motifs and styles is a way of meditating the most important rules of plastic art set by such artists like Egon Schiele, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Wasyl Kandyñski, Kazimierz Malewicz, Paul Klee, Piet Mondrian and others.
Colorful, almost oriental splendor of the Przemyśl artist Elżbieta Kardamasz Cieszyñska, her liking for still nature and landscape, and her characteristic simplifications of forms bring to mind the works of the fauvists. They were the first to clearly separate art from nature. According to them painting was, most of all, an arrangement of shapes and a sophisticated play of colors. Elżbieta Kardamasz Cieszyñska creates cycles of still nature which are, for example, variations on redness. She examines ways of matching the leading color with other colors and the relation of different shapes written into the composition. This way one can distinguish in her art the "blue" works which include a group of "blue-green-orange'" with great Matissean gold fish and the composition with a red cat called Jagoda.
The artist seems to be interested in the spatial relation of colors and forms. She starts from a fauvist rule of emphasizing two-dimensionality of the surface and its uniformity. That's how she creates sophisticated, almost abstract compositions of one object (triptych Plum, Lemon, Orange) and rhythmic arrangements of stylish flowers (cycle Compositions of Flowers and Compositions) Like the Fauvists, the painter in contrast to the postimpressionists prefers oriental colors - noisy, garish and very intense. She also prefers synthesis over the analysis; paints with wide strokes of the brush and covers large areas of the surface with shades of the same color. Her works are simply spectacular. The fauvists were known for their optimism, ecstatic joy and approval for all forms of existence but also modesty and the artist's withdrawal from his work which was so different from extreme subjectivisms of Expressionists and sectarian pride of the Cubists and Abstractionists. Artistic creations of Elżbieta Kardamasz come from the similar to the Fauvists' positive attitude the world, people and art.
Dr Magdalena Rabizo-Birek
Art. Critic
text from catalogue "Elzbieta Kardamasz Cieszynska - painting" (Hommage a Henri Matisse), Gallery of Contemporary Arts in Przemysl, 2005
