Plaża 2021

Lech Jankowski made this small oil painting, named 'Plaża,' which translates to 'Beach' in English, using a brush to layer different textures and shapes. The surface is really built up, a gritty ground where the paint has been scrubbed and coaxed, resulting in a sort of distressed or weathered appearance. The backdrop looks bleached, or sun-faded, and the palette is muted, giving it a nostalgic feel. Look at those dark, repetitive marks on the bottom half. What are they? Little birds? Or hair combs? I imagine Jankowski standing close to the canvas, his hand moving methodically, almost like a form of meditation. I wonder what he was thinking as he applied each stroke, each tiny, dark mark. There’s something deeply human and intimate about this scale, the painting almost becomes like a personal relic. The framed, enclosed composition makes me think of other Polish painters, especially the interior scenes of the painter, Pierre Bonnard.