Cleaning the Monk

Talking about the origins of his canvases, Jarosław Modzelewski points to “seen images that are possible to be painted.” In his mind though, they are by no means observed and captured scenes or fragments of landscapes. Sometimes they are merely objects, occurrences or impression-based recordings of the emotions that come over the artist in his contact with reality. Modzelewski works within a self-devised form of realism, which is far from the typical understanding of the term, endowing it with objectivism and mimetic expression. Modzelewski’s realism is a method for thinking about a painting and its artistic qualities, as well as an approach to the subject and an attempt to capture the truth in the scene. It is thus a way to translate the essence of an observed scene into a painted composition. Therefore, in the case of Modzelewski, work on a canvas is not only an act of artistry but also of ethics.

Cleaning the Monk is one of many paintings by Modzelewski that record everyday activities and that, collectively, make up a broad treatise on man and his relationship with reality. The initially confusing title refers to a drainage construction that regulates the level and flow of water in man-made reservoirs. The artist depicts an anonymous figure at work, humbly struggling with nature and matter. Using simple, monumental forms, Modzelewski creates a character that is neither heroic nor destined for failure. Showing the man within an abstract setting, the artist is in essence confronting him with a situation that needs further explanation; in doing so, aiming to elicit transcendence and the universality of human existence. The painted reflection on man and his entanglement in reality owes much to the figurative canvases of Kazimir Malevich and Andrzej Wróblewski.

For Modzelewski, the painting’s seemingly stale truths attest to the authenticity of his private experiences. The avant-garde artist’s rigorous, disciplined and academically-perfected technique allows him to craft a personal mythology which acts as a lasting foundation for Modzelewski’s irreducible, metaphysical painted reality.

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