2024-11-19
Looking at art through the prism of its comforting qualities is what we commonly find most attractive about it. The unattainable, the magical, gives us a chance to disappear for a moment into the depths of our own imagination and to direct our perceptions into areas not yet explored, into worlds other than the one we know so well.
'Journey' into the unknown
Mystical, metaphysical experiences, touching more strongly on the zone of the sacred than the profane, are most easily found in fantasy art and magic realism.
These currents combine features of fantasy, science-fiction, mythology, folklore and even psychoanalysis. The artists of these trends are inspired by literature, beliefs and legends. They often reach into the future, refer to futurism and create utopian visions of the world. Art of this kind bears the hallmarks of surrealism, describing hyper-reality. It is therefore not surprising that works from this trend bring together an ever-growing group of viewers who are looking for a mystical escape from reality. In the footsteps of our ancestors, who searched for answers to their questions in religions and myths, and interpreted the nature around them through legends handed down from mouth to mouth, we move along the intricate paths of our thoughts, taking a journey into the unknown. Artists such as Salvador Dali, Max Ernst and René Magritte let us into their own micro-worlds. The Polish pleiad of masters is represented by works by artists such as Zdzisław Beksiński, Jacek Yerka and Jacek Maślankiewicz. They are the ones who have disenchanted the image of fantasy art and magic realism, which used to be much more often perceived in terms of "inferior" art." Today, these works are acquiring the capital of major art collectors.
Magic Realism - Other Worlds
Paying homage to the imagination, we decided to create a space in our auction house for the creators of the fantasy art trend and magical realism. 'Other Worlds' is the first auction dedicated entirely to magical art at Artbidy. We have collected 51 unique works, consisting of paintings and sculptures. Although each object is different, they all have one common element - they refer to other, mystical dimensions in their subject matter. Visitors can see the mermaid from Rafał Olbiński's painting 'Listening to the Mermaid Song', Jacek Lipowczan's work 'Politician's Dolce Vita', which evokes the legend of the Warsaw mermaid, which is strongly embedded in the consciousness of Polish women and men. The classic silhouette of a woman has been reinterpreted by, among others, Van der Schvank, Wojciech Kołsut, Anastasia Markowicz and Tomasz Sętowski, creating an image of a goddess, superness, mistress of life and death. We can also offer works of magic realism - including 'Olszynka' by Jakub Różalski. At first glance, his vision of the 1831 Battle of Olszynka Grochowska resembles Wojciech Kossak's painting 'Olszynka Grochowska, Czwartacy'. However, if we take a closer look, we will notice that the atmosphere is closer to J.R.R Tolkien's 'The Lord of the Rings' than to the events of the November Uprising.
The auction will begin on 10 April 2023 and run until 17 April. Its versatile offerings will appeal to experienced collectors as well as enthusiasts who are just beginning their collection-building adventure. We warmly invite you to browse the catalogue and to place your orders.
