Stanislaw Szukalski (1893-1987), Copernicus, 1996

Heliogravure, heavyweight velin paper, dimensions: 36 x 27 cm (plate imprint) in light passe-partout, 65 x 55 in frame, limited edition, numbered in pencil 17/100, plate signature on composition and facsimile signature under composition "SZUKALSKI", publisher's dry stamp. Original certificate. Work related to Stanislaw Szukalski's projects for the future of Poland. The new Poland planned by the artist ("Poland II") should include a new place of worship, accepted by all. This large-scale political and visual project gave birth to this "myopic" (due to its two horns) Copernicus. According to Szukalski's description, Copernicus measures space from the heart - the Earth - to the brain - the Sun. Great admirers of Szukalski's art are the family of Leonardo DiCaprio, who owns many of his works. The famous actor himself stresses that it is this art that has shaped him artistically. Not only that, when preparing for his most famous role - the cartoonist Jack Dawson in the super-production Titanic - Leonardo DiCaprio modeled himself on the figure of this artist. At the International Documentary Film Festival in Amsterdam in November 2018, Leonardo DiCaprio's statement about the documentary he was involved in was quite a surprise and sensation. The film, "Struggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski" tells the story of the Warta-born avant-garde sculptor, painter, draftsman and designer Stanislaw Szukalski. It turned out that this character was not chosen at random. The actor treated Szukalski like a member of his closest family. Ba, he called him "his Polish grandfather." Together with his father, he still strives to this day for full recognition and appreciation of the work of the Polish-born artist. Stanislaw Szukalski was an extraordinarily colorful figure in the artistic milieu of interwar Poland - adored by a group of young artists gathered in the Rogate Heart Szczep, which he founded, and harshly criticized by a group of older artists. A fanatic of pre-Slavism and the myth of Polish power, he leaned toward historical and allegorical themes, using elements of geometric stylization on the formal side. In 1936-39 he executed a commission in Katowice for bas-reliefs for the Silesian Museum building under construction He first exhibited his works in 1912 at the Palace of Art in Cracow. A year later, they could be seen together with the works of the already recognized masters Jacek Malczewski and Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz. At the same time, Szukalski harshly criticized the Academy of Fine Arts as a hotbed of non-Polish art. This brought him enemies. In addition, the academy did not accept his innovative view of art. As a result, Stanislaw abandoned his studies and returned to Chicago. According to him, the US was the only place where living culture and art developed. Fascinated by ancient history, he devoted a lot of time to solving prehistoric riddles and mysteries of ancient human history, the emergence and formation of languages, faiths, customs, art, the migration of peoples, and sculptural works became secondary. The last retrospective exhibition of his works, the first in the post-war period and the last during his lifetime, was held in May 1978 at the Palace of Art in Cracow. During the war, almost all of the artist's work created in Poland was destroyed.