WUWA by Maria Kiesner

Karolina Jaklewicz

doi:10.5277/arc120116

Abstract

A series of paintings Re: WUWA constitutes a dialogue of the young generation with the classic of modernism. The author, a Warsaw artist Maria Kiesner, referred to the best sources that have ever existed in Wrocław, i.e. the structures of Residential Exhibition from 1929. The idea of this series is to ‘rediscover’ a modernistic thought, to draw attention to the richness of Wroclaw cultural heritage and to come back to good models. Re: WUWA is the homage paid to innovative solutions from the past. As opposed to the previous paintings, in which monumental depictions of architecture dominated, the Wrocław series is characterised by the intimate atmosphere of the composition. From an objective observer’s and documentary writer’s view, Kiesner moves on towards a subjective relation with architecture. A distance disappears. Wide panoramas give way to portraits of houses. Kiesner observes buildings at close range, presents fragments of forms, peers inside. On the basis of archival photographs she composes forgotten views of WUWA Estate, pays homage to innovative architectural solutions and brings to mind the authors of the design.

Keywords:
wuwa
painting
kiesner

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Presentations

Maria Kiesner is famous for paintings presenting the

People’s Republic of Poland époque architecture, indus-

trial structures, pre-war architecture or Katarzyna Kobro’s

sculptures. The life itself prompted her with the topic of

a city – she was an eye witness of a terrorist attack in New

York. The atmosphere of emptiness, silence and bringing

the fast metropolis to a standstill became the motive of

her diploma thesis which was awarded for searching for

a new form of artistic expression. Architecture appeared

again in Kiesner’s creative activity in her series of indus-

trial landscapes inspired by the 19

-century postcards. In

her paintings she presented factories, chimneys and steel-

works. Kiesner painted pictures by means of a classical

egg technique which was mainly used in the Middle Ages.

The author hit a hand-mixed paint against the objects

symbolising the technological revolution. On the surface

of canvas she left the paint trickling down and in this way

she emphasised the role of passage of time. This method

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series. Following the tracks of antiquarian quests, Kiesner

found travel magazines from the 1970s. The topic of

empty city spaces illuminated by the specific, contrastive,

side light came back. The postcards from the 1960s and

1970s, pre-war Warsaw views and the development of

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first works devoted to sport structures, swimming pools,

towers are created – a series called ‘Warsaw Vedutes’. In

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again ‘discovers’ classicism of modernism, she uses the

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Housing Estate WUWA.

I have been observing Maria Kiesner’s creative activ-

ity for years. I am fascinated by her method of obtaining

a clear form out of the chaos of cityscapes. Or the way

she enlivens buildings from old photographs covered

with dust and faded travel albums. I appreciate the fact

that the main characters of her paintings are the objects

themselves, while she stays in the background. However,

her painting creation does not disappear from her paint-

ings – they have this special type of tact that prevents

her from artistic exhibitionism (if we were to look for

her emotional attitude to the painted objects, we could

Re: WUWA by Maria Kiesner

Author: Karolina Jaklewicz*

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Fig. 1. Maria Kiesner, Terrace from cycle Re: WUWA, 140 × 110, 2010,

acrylic on canvas

Il. 1. Maria Kiesner, Balkon z cyklu Re: Wuwa, 140 × 110, 2010,

DNU\OSáyWQR

DOI: 10.5277/arc120116

140 Presentations

perhaps find it in the fragments of flaming underpainting

showing through here and there from under the top layer

of paint. Kiesner can derive a lot from tradition – she has

regard for the best ‘portraitists’ of architecture – Edward

Hopper, David Hockney or Jacek Modzelewski.

However, she quickly comes back to her own character-

istic style and her paintings can be easily recognised.

The choice of the topic itself has an impact on her style

– a simple, modernist structure whose age of glamour

has long been a thing of the past – expressive, however

not dominating artistic gesture subject to the architec-

tural form. We can see a sophisticated range of grey,

beige, toned down green colours set against lively

splashes of blue colours or orange accents. And the light

– bright and constructive – because Kiesner builds the

form of a building as well as a disturbing atmosphere of

her works by means of this light.

As opposed to the previous paintings, in which monu-

mental depictions of architecture dominated, the

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phere of the composition. From an objective observer’s

and documentary writer’s view, Kiesner moves on

towards a subjective relation with architecture. A dis-

tance disappears. Wide panoramas give way to portraits

Fig. 2. Maria Kiesner, Entrance from cycle Re: WUWA 150 × 110, 2010,

acrylic on canvas

Il. 2. Maria Kiesner, :HMĞFLHz cyklu Re: WUWA 150 × 110, 2010,

DNU\OSáyWQR

Fig. 3. Maria Kiesner, Sanatorium from cycle Re: WUWA, 140 × 110,

2010, acrylic on canvas

Il. 3. Maria Kiesner, Sanatorium z cyklu Re: WUWA, 140 × 110, 2010,

DNU\OSáyWQR

Fig. 4. Maria Kiesner, Hotel for single... from cycle Re: WUWA 100 × 80,

2010, acrylic on canvas

Il. 4. Maria Kiesner, Dom samotnych z cyklu Re: WUWA, 100 × 80,

DNU\OSáyWQR

Fig. 5. Maria Kiesner, Villa from cycle Re: WUWA 110 × 80, 2010,

acrylic on canvas

Il. 5. Maria Kiesner, Dom z cyklu Re: WUWA, 110 × 80, 2010,

DNU\OSáyWQR

Fig. 6. Maria Kiesner, Hotel for single... from cycle Re: WUWA 110 × 80,

2010, acrylic on canvas

Il. 6. Maria Kiesner, Dom samotnych z cyklu Re: WUWA, 110 × 80,

DNU\OSáyWQR

Presentations 141

of houses. Kiesner observes buildings at close range,

presents fragments of forms, peers inside. On the basis

of archival photographs she composes forgotten views

of WUWA Estate, pays homage to innovative architec-

tural solutions and brings to mind the authors of the

design. Although the paintings are simple and deter-

mined in their formal aspect, they have intimate charac-

ter of the observed fragments of the reality. Her previous

works were characterized by a certain sort of austerity

which was typical of monochromatic compositions. In

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of colours is enriched and the light becomes more natu-

ral and soft. Kiesner depicts architecture without people,

but it is by no means empty. We do not deal here with

sterile houses not lived in yet or melancholy of the aban-

doned ones. Kiesner paints the form of the house while

its owners are temporarily away. There are not many

traces of the inhabitants, however, we can feel their pres-

ence. A sensual atmosphere of Balcony and Deck Chair

is a totally new face of Kiesner. The artist admires not

only aesthetic values of the building but also its func-

tionality. In the geometrical system of planes she discov-

ers their purpose.

The artistic gesture of the author is at the same time

a gesture of protection. The protection against oblivion

and destruction. The protection of a simple architectural

form against the excess of ornaments or richness of form.

The protection against dirt: the author cleanses her build-

ings – she tears off unnecessary posters, advertisements,

sign-boards – pity that only in paintings.

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Key words: WUWA, painting, Kiesner

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Re: WUWA

Translated by

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