Anyone can be Dürer | vernissage

This exhibition was created over the course of three years during art and graphic design club sessions at the Special Educational and Care Center in Nowy Sącz. The works were created by children and young people aged nine to twenty-four.

The title of this exhibition is, of course, a bit of a provocation, a way to spark a conversation, a starting point for discussion. From the perspective of Albrecht Dürer’s brilliant apocalyptic visions, it is clear that not everyone can be like him; however, from a formal standpoint - related to graphic techniques - practically anyone can turn to traditional printmaking techniques and create a work of art - or a “little work” - using a chisel, a graver, and wood or its substitutes. Although printmaking forms may not seem as attractive at first glance as paintings, they offer immense possibilities both for developing creativity and for producing multiple prints. For our printmaking club, this was an added bonus. The final piece could be given not only to mom and dad but also to a favorite friend or a favorite teacher.

The themes of the works are very diverse - ranging from insects, birds, butterflies, and flowers to ambitious portraits inspired by the paintings of Bolesław Barbacki and “extraterrestrial beings” known as Angels, which most people associate with goodness and positive emotions. Our prints were created using several techniques, such as linocut, gypsum cut, collography, relief printing on cardboard, and monotype. Additionally, the exhibition is enriched by selected drawings and paintings that complement our artistic endeavors.

In a world of high technology and the nearly limitless possibilities of artificial intelligence, one sometimes wonders whether human creativity still has any meaning. Hundreds of “creativity boosters” sold in discount stores - creative coloring books, diamond-painting kits, or paint-by-numbers kits - may provide a semblance of joy and satisfaction and beautify the reality around us, but they have little to do with creativity… Turning to the simplest definition from AI, we read in the introduction: “A creative person is someone who thinks outside the box and has the ability to create original solutions, ideas, or works.” In this context, it’s difficult to even comment on the “originality and unconventionality” of the aforementioned artistic products.

The works we’re presenting at the exhibition are 100 percent creative; they’re certainly one-of-a-kind, interpreted in a very personal way, and the ONLY ones of their kind in the ENTIRE world! Given this genuine development of creativity, these activities make sense regardless of the final product, because, taking this line of thought further, creativity is a trait that humanizes a person, distinguishes them from machines and animals, transcends self-preservation instincts, and is linked to imagination - which, unlike animals, they can share… Undoubtedly, culture and a sense of beauty go beyond the framework of mere existence. An animal digging a burrow, an ant building a mound, or a bird weaving a nest - they are certainly not guided by beauty. Perhaps these actions are accompanied by utilitarian goals related to perseverance and functionality, but certainly not by beauty. It is not a prettier setting - “a burrow among old oaks” - or a prettier branch for a nest - “a more beautiful color of a cherry twig” - that determines the finished products of the animal world, but often chance and instinct. THOUGHT - and, consequently, philosophy, aesthetics, and the culture we create - certainly “set” humans apart from the rest of the mammals and place them at the top of the biological pyramid.

I hope that the works presented at the exhibition will speak to viewers through their individuality, bold interpretation of the theme, and the beauty that comes from simplicity.

Club Advisor: Urszula Gawron-Leśniara