Exhibition "Sculptured by the Untrained Hand. Sculptures from Tadeusz Kacalak's Collection" shows Polish folk sculptures collected for over forty years by Kutno-based artist Tadeusz Kacalak. Divided into several thematic parts, the exhibition features almost one hundred and fifty sculptures created by the most outstanding artists, both alive and dead. Most of them are members of the Association of Polish Folk Artists. The sculptural themes include those of the Pensive Christ, Mother of God and angels. A separate group of works are those based on biblical motifs (Adam and Eve, the Nativity of Jesus, Exodus, Crucifixion), chapels and works on secular subjects.
Aleksander Jackowski once wrote that the sculpture fully reveals the individuality of its creator. The works on display delight with their form, the way of approaching the subject matter, their boldness of solution and expression. They talk about God, saint patrons, a world that is difficult to understand and describe. They talk about these things in an honest, often poignant and sometimes naïve way. It seems that this area of creativity appeals mostly to the audience; it is surprising, almost unpredictable. We can see primitive works that strike with simplicity, clumsiness, a clear tendency for the schematic and short, on the other – the exhibition features thoroughly realistic sculptures that perfectly make use of the material’s properties, that are polished in every detail and multi-coloured.
In addition to these types of works, the exhibits include primitive works by self-taught artists, sometimes endowed with a large scale of expression. Most of the sculptures are characterized by specific features: simplification of shape geometry, statics, frontal arrangement, rhythmicity of individual elements, deformation of body proportions, synthetic treatment of the solid. Every sculpture reveals the character and life of a specific artist. There is also a different story behind every work, and all of them put together in the space of the gallery reflect, on the one hand, the biblical history of the world and man, and, on the other, the history of the Association of Polish Folk Artists.
Folk Art Gallery, ul. Grodzka 14, Lublin
The exhibition is on display until the end of November 2018.
Written and Arranged by: Katarzyna Kraczoń
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The event is financed from the funds of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and co-financed by the City of Lublin.
The event is held under the National Patronage of the President of the Republic of Poland, Andrzej Duda, on the 100th Anniversary of Restoration of Poland’s Independence.