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Jan Tarasin, “Three Waves”, 2005 – linear rhythm and the illusion of motion
Jan Tarasin, “Three Waves”, 2005 is an abstract painting from the artist’s late period, in which his characteristic visual language evolves towards an analysis of pure rhythm and continuous matter. The work replaces Tarasin’s earlier “objects-signs” with undulating lines that create a vibrating, almost kinetic surface.
Description – flowing lines and hypnotic pattern
The composition of “Three Waves” is entirely filled with horizontal, wavy linear structures. These regular yet organically bent lines form a pattern reminiscent of sound waves, water interference or a topographic map of an unknown landscape. Their continuous flow generates a strong sense of movement and vibration, as if the painting were gently rippling.
Colour and space – blue drawing on a green ground
Tarasin builds tension through the contrast between the cool, vibrating blue of the lines and the deep, dark green background. This chromatic opposition gives the canvas an unusual dynamism and an illusion of three-dimensionality. The blue lines seem to advance towards the viewer, while the green recedes, producing an effect of optical depth that resonates with the aesthetics of op art.
The repeated linear module, with its subtle deviations and bends, causes the eye to continuously travel across the surface, experiencing shimmering shifts and gentle distortions.
Op art, rhythm analysis and Tarasin’s late style
“Three Waves” demonstrates how, in his later years, Jan Tarasin turned his attention to the study of rhythm, continuity and motion. Instead of recognisable signs and objects, we encounter pure linear structures. The painting relates to op art and analytical painting, yet retains the artist’s distinctive poetic sensibility.
Tarasin creates a sophisticated game with perception: what first appears as a simple system of parallel stripes gradually reveals constant micro-variations and disruptions of the pattern. The work thus becomes an exploration of the boundary between order and change.
Significance of “Three Waves”
For collectors and institutions interested in the late oeuvre of Jan Tarasin, the 2005 painting “Three Waves” is a key example of line-based abstraction. It brings together:
- rigorous compositional discipline,
- optical illusion of movement and depth,
- a limited yet intense palette of blue and green,
- an individual interpretation of op-art aesthetics.
Keywords: Jan Tarasin Three Waves, late works of Jan Tarasin, linear abstraction, Polish op art, wave motif in painting, Polish contemporary art.
