Jaroslaw Jasnikowski – interview with the painter

Michal Cylwik: Good morning Mr. Jaroslaw, it is my great pleasure to present the silhouette of one of the more recognizable artists of Surrealism. The paintings that Jaroslaw Yasnikovsky creates are known and appreciated all over the world. Of course, I could ask, how do you do it? but it seems too trivial…. I know that reaching such perfection was not easy.

Therefore, I would like to know what painting is for you?

Warm welcome.

Painting is still an amazing adventure for me, it is the meaning of my life, a mirror revealing the secret corners of my soul, a gateway to another world. But it is also my source of quite a decent income.

Every artist at the beginning of his path models himself on someone who made a great impression on him. And what influence did Dali’s work have on you?

At the beginning of my adventure with painting, in the nineties, the work, as well as the figure of Dali himself, had quite an influence on me, but over time it began to fade in favor of a fascination with the work of Wojtek Siudmak, then Zdzislaw Beksinski, and then a few other artists have changed my idea of art. Currently, I consider Salvador Dali’s work to be rich in terms of ingenuity and imagination, but weak in terms of painting technique, and above all, his pain is a lot of mistakes in the juxtaposition of colors. Well, but Dali was one of the first and trodden a considerable path of world surrealism… and for that he is praised.

For many people, art is an escape to another, this magical side. It not only soothes the eyes, but also the senses. How is the surreal world different from the real one?

For example, you can play a little with the laws of physics, bend them this way or that. You can play a little with the micro God and create some interesting realities, but we must also take into account that the beings from the other worlds, when they look at us through some window, may also be a bit surprised. The law of disbelief, but also of fascination, works both ways.

For you, is painting the only art form you develop in yourself?

I think that every artist is open to different forms of his externalization. I used to write a little poetry, I committed some short story, rather poorly, although I am tempted to return to writing someday. Astronomy, or quantum physics, is also a beautiful kind of art, in which you can infinitely forget yourself.

Fame often sounds ambiguous and many artists do not accept it. What does an artist whose paintings are exhibited in prestigious galleries feel?

Painters have the comfort that it is usually our paintings that are famous, not ourselves. So, teenagers don’t squeal behind us and take selfies, paparats don’t send drone squadrons at us, poodles and other tabloids stay away from us. We can walk to the bakery for buns without any qualms, pick our noses at red lights and make a nice life for ourselves.

Painting can be a way of life. Is it possible to combine business with art?

In our time, it’s even necessary. Many young artists with heads full of dreams, graduating from universities, are thrown into the cogs of the ruthless market and perish. They perish because they didn’t receive a proper education, because no one at the universities prepared them for it. Whether we pay taxes or not, every artist is like an independent entrepreneur, and no one gives us papu-papu for free. In the beginning, it’s a fierce struggle for survival and everyone will get their heads handed to them, without exception. Everyone will pay the price, different admittedly, sometimes terrible, but those who persevere… then they can have a nice life.

Please do not take this as a question about competition:)) Which contemporary painters does Jaroslaw Jasnikowski consider outstanding?

At a certain stage, once a person feels his worth and when he is sure of what he is doing, there is no more competition… there are only friendships. There are very many outstanding artists in Polish surrealism, and I won’t lie if I say that we are the world elite. Perhaps some of our national characteristics account for this, perhaps this utopian romanticism, when we throw ourselves with paintbrushes in hand, in a fanatical frenzy on our canvases, on our worlds, without a shadow of timidity. I don’t know… maybe that’s what it is. The elite of Polish surrealism, broadly defined, is at least twenty, maybe thirty names, and practically everyone has their own recognizable style. That’s why we complement each other so well.

Many of today’s artists take the help of digitization technology. This is how very creative and original works are created. What Jaroslaw Jasnikowski thoughts on combining computer processing with classic easel?

I absolutely do not mind, if what results from this symbiosis and meets the principles of a good work of art, that is, it has well-composed colors, and correct composition, conveys an interesting content, then why not.

Here a small note for those surprised – Yes! painting is based on certain principles, which sometimes they do not teach at the Academies of Fine Arts, boasting the sick principle of “Art for art’s sake”.

Magical realism is the mainstream in your life, would Jaroslaw Jasnikowski like to live in such a world?

If I wanted to, I’d probably already live there;-) However, I think I prefer to be a tourist, a Storyteller. I visit Alternative Worlds and tell about what I saw there. That’s enough for me, and there the sweet peas don’t grow as much as they do here, and the strawberries are sometimes frisky.

Thank you very much for the interview and your time for LuxuryBlog.co.uk, I will be watching your work closely.

Thank you also

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