Stanislaw Ignacy Witkiewicz(Warschau 1885–1939)Stanislaw Ignacy Witkiewicz, a central figure in the Polish avant-garde, was among 20th century Europe’s most talented and creative artistic personalities. Witkiewicz was a multi-talented artistic genius, whose creative output included drawing, painting, theatre, literature, philosophy, art theory and photography. Witkiewicz was an innovator in painting and photography. He maintained an ironic and reserved distance to the prevailing aesthetics of his time. Of particular significance within his photographic work (Witkiewicz took his first photographs at age 14) is the series of portraits he took of friends and relatives. These 'soul portraits' capture in an arresting and sometimes sinister manner the 'inner' human being. These somewhat unusual pictures may be regarded as the first close-up portraits in the history of photography. Unfortunately, the photographic work of Witkiewicz was almost completely destroyed in the Second World War, only a small number of works remain. |
'Artur Rubinstein' 1913
self-portrait, ca. 1912
