Although often considered one of the most classical subjects in painting, the landscape has undergone many transformations in contemporary art — from realistic depictions of nature to emotional, abstract visions. In 20th- and 21st-century Polish painting, the landscape increasingly becomes not so much a record of a specific place as a vehicle for inner experience, a commentary on the human condition and nature, or a space for reflecting on time, memory, and identity.
Andrzej Fogtt “Staw” 1979
One artist who has strikingly transformed the convention of the landscape is Andrzej Fogtt. His works, far from documentary realism, portray nature as a force of nature — pulsating with color, energy, and movement. In his art, the landscape becomes an emotional record of experience rather than a depiction of a view. Dynamic brushstrokes, dense textures, and intense colors suggest an almost physical, organic encounter with nature — one that borders on bodily experience.
Andrzej Fogtt “Brda” 2020
In contrast to this expressive vision, one might consider the work of Józef Czapski, who focused in his restrained landscapes on the melancholic contemplation of space. In Czapski’s work, nature serves as a backdrop for inner experiences, a silence that becomes a space for reflection and memory. Meanwhile, Wilhelm Sasnal often presents the landscape as a frame of reality — raw, almost cinematic, suspended between documentation and private observation.
Józej Czapski „Montmarte” 1973
The transformations of the landscape in contemporary Polish painting reveal not so much a change in style as a shift in the approach to the very essence of nature as a subject. From a symbolic carrier of ideas, through a space of emotion, to a reflection on the human relationship with the environment — the landscape remains a mirror of its time and a way of thinking about the world. The work of Andrzej Fogtt, full of expression and spiritual intensity, stands as one of the most evocative examples of this evolution.
Author: Szymon Zdrojewski
SoA Gallery
