Jan Tarasin was a Polish painter, graphic artist, illustrator, photographer, and art theorist. Born on 1926, in Kalisz, he graduated in 1951 with a degree in painting from the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków. In the 1970s, he began his academic career at the same institution, eventually becoming its rector. His debut as a student at the First Exhibition of Modern Art in Kraków opened the doors to the artistic world for him.
Tarasin studied under distinguished professors such as Zygmunt Radnicki, Wacław Taranczewski, and Zbigniew Pronaszko. In 1962, he became a member of the Kraków Group, and in 1967, he moved to Warsaw, where in 1974, he took over the Independent Painting Studio at the Academy of Fine Arts. He was a highly regarded artist and received numerous awards, including the prestigious Jan Cybis Award in 1984.
A versatile creator, Tarasin's work spanned painting, graphic art, and drawing, as well as philosophical essays on art. His fascination with the East, particularly Chinese calligraphy, was reflected in his work after returning from a scholarship in China and Vietnam. In his later works, he often experimented with objects immersed in hot substances, creating unique image-collages. Jan Tarasin passed away on August 8, 2009, in Warsaw. His work defies easy categorization, as the artist avoided popular trends and always followed his own, original path.
