2024-04-25
Zdzisław Beksiński is one of the most prominent representatives of Polish contemporary art. His diverse legacy is characterized by apocalyptic imagery in which a motif of death, that materializes the painter’s dark imagination on canvas, is particularly common.
Beksiński, as a member of a generation growing up during the World War II, experienced a lot of traumatic events that certainly must have left a mark on his psyche. However, as an author, he opposed any interpretation of his work, especially the one that would include biographical elements. He considered death present in his paintings in a neutral way. He thought of it as a surrealistic fantasy, a variation on his nightmares that were his huge inspiration. “Crawling Death” (1973) represents the most famous tanatal theme in his art. The titular, animated death is placed in the central place of the canvas. Unidentified creature resembling a spider creeps on its bent, bony legs, proclaiming the inevitable end of life that every person is concerned with. The dramatic quality of the scene is enhanced by the creature’s head wrapped up in a white bandage, stained with blood. It reminds of a disaster occupied with moribund pain.
In other works of the “painter of horror,” death is depicted through anonymous, fragmented characters. Their bodies are unnatural, deformed, blended into nature, or destroyed buildings. Facial expressions represent agony and loneliness. Skulls, skeletal figures, and bones that construct anthropomorphic figures are noticeable, as well. Another symbol, inextricably associated with death, that is common for the artist, is the Christian cross, standing for the tragic death of Jesus.
Post-apocalyptic, allegoric scenes in Beksiński’s paintings astonish viewers with their macabre illustration of impermanence. The motif of death, typical of his art, evokes strong emotions – fear, melancholy, anxiety. The characteristic color palette, dark background, or remarkable depiction of ruined architecture are only a few of many components that are reminiscent of the end of life. Brownish, bloody tones make the world seem as a dangerous, terrific place to live in. Art theorists, critics and enthusiasts are fascinated with Beksiński’s original, existential style by means of which he was able to express his dystopic vision of the world.