Szczepan Pako

The paintings of Polish artist Szczepan Pako are defined by subjects and aesthetics that alternate between romanticism and modernism. There is a striking formal beauty to his nudes, whose warmly textured bodies radiate a soft heat. Fittingly, he cites old masters like Titian among his greatest influences. Aside from his human figures, Pako’s subject of choice is the melancholic, worn-out landscape of the industrial region where he lives. His egg tempera paintings seek to resolve the area’s opposing tendencies towards rigorous efficiency and joyous expression.

These competing impulses between humanism and modernism give Pako’s paintings a universal appeal, gripping viewers with extremely stylized visions of bodies, interiors and streets that are alternately inviting and alienating. He deploys palettes of dreary green and bluish grays to convey disillusionment with the material world, which he juxtaposes spectacularly with the bright reds, pinks and oranges of his human silhouettes. In the end Pako’s romantic humanism wins out, with the loving warmth of bodies gathered optimistically against the cold.

Enigmatic Perspectives
Reception: Thursday January 14, 2010 6-8 PM
Exhibition Dates: 1/8/2010 - 1/29/2010

Invitation to Szczepan Pako's exhibition

HF III Egg Tempera on Canvas Limited Edition of 1 47" x 39" $3300 HF III Egg Tempera on Canvas Limited Edition of 1 47" x 39" $3300	L.VII Loneliness Egg Tempera on Canvas Limited Edition of 1 47" x 39" $3300 L.VII Loneliness Egg Tempera on Canvas Limited Edition of 1 47" x 39" $3300
HF VI Egg Tempera on Canvas Limited Edition of 1 66" x 33" $3600 HF VI Egg Tempera on Canvas Limited Edition of 1 66" x 33" $3600	In the Field Egg Tempera on Canvas Limited Edition of 1 47" x 39" $3300 In the Field Egg Tempera on Canvas Limited Edition of 1 47" x 39" $3300
HF I Egg Tempera on Canvas Limited Edition of 1 47" x 33" $3200 HF I Egg Tempera on Canvas Limited Edition of 1 47" x 33" $3200	HF II Egg Tempera on Canvas Limited Edition of 1 47" x 47" $3500 HF II Egg Tempera on Canvas Limited Edition of 1 47" x 47" $3500