Intellectuals 

Iwo Zaniewski made this artwork titled Intellectuals, using pastels on paper. The grainy texture, achieved by layering and blending pastel sticks, gives the scene a soft, dreamlike quality, almost like a hazy memory. Zaniewski's choice of pastels, a medium prized for its immediacy and vibrant pigments, is intriguing. Unlike oil paints that require extensive preparation and drying time, pastels allow for a direct, almost impulsive application of color. Here, the artist layers colours to create the atmosphere. The visible strokes and smudges of the pastel sticks remind us of the artist's hand and its physical engagement with the materials. There’s a sense of intimacy in this image. The artist is inviting us into their private space, and perhaps also into the quiet, contemplative world of the intellectuals they are depicting. Paying attention to materials, making, and context allows us to move beyond traditional distinctions between art and craft. It gives us a better understanding of the artwork's meaning.