The unreal world of Jacek Yerki. Outlandish worlds

The paintings of this artist take viewers to unprecedented lands, where everything changes before their eyes. His work even inspired American writer Harlan Ellison to create a series of short stories. Jacek Yorka ( Jacek Yerka or Jacek Kowalski), a recognized master of realistic surrealism and fantasy, owns unique art picturesque creation.

Jorka was born in northern Poland and graduated from the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun as a printmaker. But this direction of art turned out to be too narrow for him, and by 1980 Jacek became a professional artist.

Success came to the artist in 1994 after the release of the first book with his works, called “Mind Fields”. It was for this publication that writer Harlan Ellison created thirteen stories, equal to the number of paintings associated with them. Since then, Jacek's work has been exhibited in Poland, Germany, Monaco, France and the United States and acquired for various collections around the world.

“I think the fifties were a kind of Golden Age. This happy years my childhood, filled with the magic of the world around me. In my work this is reflected in buildings, furniture and various pre-war trinkets. If I had to draw a computer, I would certainly apply pre-war aesthetics to it too.”

Inventions and things of the first half of the 20th century appear in almost every work of the master. You rarely see people on his canvases, but he depicts furniture, household items, dishes and many other things with amazing accuracy, which makes some of his works similar to the “tricks” of the Renaissance. This is clearly visible in the painting “Twilight In The Cupboard”: cups and a loaf of bread are adjacent to a half-peeled lemon, the peel of which curls in rings, like in Dutch still lifes. All the objects depicted are absolutely real, but as soon as you look closely, you notice the cobwebs decorating the bottom of the picture, snails slowly crawling up, and fingers protruding from the box.

Equally unrealistic is the painting Attack at Dawn, where a pre-war car is presented as a lizard with a tail, while the planes look birds of prey preparing for the hunt. Jacek's paintings are imbued with symbolism and leave room for imagination. By looking at them carefully, you can come up with a whole story full of mysteries.

The artist’s “illusionistic” works are no less famous. One of these is the painting “Ammonite”, which immediately catches the eye of the beholder and makes you wonder what we really see. It is simultaneously a giant spiral shell separating water from land, cave cities carved into the surface and an ocean that defies the laws of gravity. Everything in this picture is connected and is in a fragile balance, possible only in the mind of the artist.

Jacek Jorka presents the works to the viewer as a unique and superbly worked out puzzle. Detailed and coloristically integral works immerse you in completely different worlds and force you to look at every little thing. Bizarre creatures go for a walk, the sky merges with the earth, and new life flows from an empty shell.

Jacek Yerka — famous Polish artist, illustrator, surrealist. Jacek Jerka is the pseudonym of an artist named Jacek Kowalski. Born in 1952, in the city of Torun, in northern Poland. Here he studied at the Faculty of Fine Arts at the Nicolaus Copernicus University. After that, he began to engage in illustration professionally. In 1994, the artist’s personal book with his best works. There is one associated with this book, which was published under the title "Mind Fields". interesting story. American writer science fiction writer Harlan Ellison was so impressed by the artist’s paintings that he saw in this book that based on these works he wrote 13 short stories. In addition to illustrating books, Jacek Jerka regularly organizes exhibitions of his drawings and paintings. His works have already been exhibited and enjoyed great popularity in Germany, France, Monaco, the USA, etc.

Most of the artist’s works relate to surrealism and fantasy. Connoisseurs of his art classify such creativity as realistic fantasy. His paintings are always very carefully drawn and detailed. While studying at the university, teachers tried to wean him from drawing very detailed things, since modern abstract painting suggests smoother forms and textures, but the artist did not succumb to this and retained his style, which helped him stand out from the crowd of other creators. In the artist’s works there are echoes not only of modern styles and trends, techniques and manners, but also the characteristics of artists of the past, such as Pieter Bruegel, Hieronymus Bosch and etc.

Library

Budget flight

Thunderstorm in the desert

Double life

Winter wave

Calendar

Strawberry Garden

Labyrinth of spring

There is also a place in it for cheerful and optimistic paintings by completely different artists. Today I will remember the wonderful and inspiring master of realistic surrealism - Jaceka Yerki (Jacek Yerka, real name Jacek Kowalski), a Polish artist whose paintings are filled with light and light humor of fantastic subjects. To some extent, his paintings are reminiscent of works; they are also woven from illusions and childhood fantasies, which the artist skillfully manipulates. However, art connoisseurs will notice notes in his canvases Salvador Dali, Pieter Bruegel art., I. Bosch, Van Eyck and other famous painters of the past. One way or another - you be the judge, but I’ll just make a short point important points from the biography of Jacek Yerka.

The spring labyrinth

Polish bonsai

The mushroom king

Attack at dawn

The second day of Genesis

S.A.D.

The Express Delivery

Jacek Kowalski ( creative pseudonym Jacek Yerka was born in Poland in 1952, into a family of artists. Growing up surrounded medieval architecture, which miraculously survived the bombings during the Second World War. The surroundings of the house and his grandmother's kitchen, where young Jacek spent a lot of time, had a huge influence on the artist's work.

“I think the 50s were sort of a Golden Age. These are the happy years of my childhood, filled with the magic of the world around me. In my work this is reflected in buildings, furniture and various pre-war trinkets. If I had to draw a computer, I would certainly apply pre-war aesthetics to it,” says Jacek Jerka

He studied graphics at the Nicolaus Copernicus University (Torun) at the Faculty of Fine Arts, with a specialization in the field of printmaking (graphic art: engraving or other print on paper from a printing plate (matrix)). But, according to the artist, he painted his first painting even before entering college.

The teachers, at first, tried to teach Jacek York to draw in a more modern, abstract, and less detailed manner, but the artist believed that the teachers would only stifle him. own style. Soon the teachers abandoned their attempts to change his style, seeing the student’s unusual talent

Since 1980 he has been working as an artist. American science fiction writer Harlan Ellison was so impressed by the artist’s work that he specially wrote 13 new short stories for Mind Fields. The book was published in 1994. Each story relates to one of the thirty paintings by this amazing Polish artist included in Mind Fields.

In 1995, Jacek Jerka won the prestigious “World Fantasy Award” as best artist. In 1999, another book by Jacek Yerka, “The Fantastic Art of Jacek Yerka,” was published with 21 works by the artist.

Jacek Yerka's works belong to realistic surrealism and fantasy style and are reminiscent of the surrealists of the past (Hieronymus Bosch, Pieter Bruegel, Salvador Dali, René Magritte). The artist's works are exhibited not only in Poland, but also in Germany, France, Monaco, the USA, and are also in a number of collections around the world.

Jacek tells about himself: “I was born in Torun (a city in Northern Poland) in 1952. My parents were students of the local Academy visual arts. Thus, I came into the world with a special heritage - an artist twice... My earliest memories are the smell of paints, inks, paper, rubber and brushes.

Most important person in my childhood there was a grandmother, my father’s mother, Wanda. I spent my best childhood moments with my grandmother, playing in her house, walking in the forest with her. She was an angel of the heart and never raised her voice...

I was an introverted child, it was very difficult to get along with children my age. I hated playing on outdoors. Yours free time I used to draw, sat with a pencil and paper, immersing myself in my own, different reality. My fingers were always cut by a sharp little knife - I always carried it around with me to sharpen pencils. It was my escape from reality - drawings, hundreds of drawings and small sculptures: boats, heads, figures, fantastic masks.

I lived through a nightmare primary school I am grateful to my teachers who allowed me to make sculptures during lessons. Teachers noticed that despite my hands being full, I was able to listen, comprehend the material, and engage with the lectures.

I didn't want to be an artist like my parents. I was thinking about astronomy or medicine. A year before my final exam, I picked up paints for the first time and found myself in the mysterious world of color! Before I was accepted into the Academy, I had already tried in practice all modern trends in painting from impressionism to abstractionism. I was fascinated by Cezanne, I painted a bunch of watercolors in the style of Paul Klee... and in my first year at the Academy I realized that what fascinated and inspired me most was the painting of the masters of the 15th century - Dutch painting.

At the Academy, I chose graphics as a specialization. While studying at the academy, my life was divided into two periods. During the day, it was the usual student work - tests, projects, lectures, and in the evening 2 hours - mandatory painting classes. Their paintings I only showed it to my family and friends.

Since 1980 I have already worked with several galleries in Warsaw, as well as commissioned works. I devoted myself almost exclusively to painting. In mid-1990, I received an offer from Hollywood. It turned my monotonous life upside down. Producer Rene Daalder offered to join the production of a science fiction film called Strawberry Fields.

I was involved in the first phase of production, designing figures, monsters, cars and unreal landscapes. Some of my works, like The Creation of Life, and Techno beach, and Picnic, were created while working on this project. Since 1996 I started painting pastels.

Flying villages and strawberry beaches - such a reality exists only in the paintings of the Polish artist Jacek Yerka. His imagination is a real kingdom of imaginary worlds, mysterious creatures and fantastic landscapes which the artist conveys on canvas. Although most of the images he creates have almost nothing in common with reality, the artist's attention to detail and bright, saturated colors make us believe in the existence of the places depicted in his paintings. Enjoy fantasy worlds Jaceka Yerki is with us.

20 PHOTOS

1. In the photo: the painting “Autumn”. (Photo: Jacek Yerka/facebook.com).

Jacek Jerka was born in Torun (Poland) in 1952. Since childhood, he was fond of drawing and modeling. The artist writes on his website: “My fingers were always cut by a knife, which I never parted with. This is my “escape” from the gray, sometimes frightening reality: drawings, hundreds of drawings and small sculptures - boats, heads, characters, fantastic masks.

Fortunately, at school, which was a “nightmare” for the artist due to difficulties in relationships with colleagues, thanks to the understanding of the teachers, Jacek Jerka was able to engage in his creativity even during lessons, which made him very happy. (Photo: Jacek Yerka/facebook.com).

Despite the artist's talent and passion for drawing, first the author of these unusual paintings did not want to devote himself to art, like his parents, who were students of the Faculty of Fine Arts at the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń. Jacek Jerka wanted to become a doctor or astronomer and not follow in the footsteps of his ancestors. (Photo: Jacek Yerka/facebook.com).

However, later young artist changed my mind about my future profession when I started drawing a year before graduating from school oil paints and discovered for himself, as he wrote on his website, “ mysterious world flowers and paints." Then he decided to try his hand at impressionism, abstraction, surrealism and many other areas. modern painting. (Photo: Jacek Yerka/facebook.com).

In his first year at university, Jacek Jerka delved into the history of art and became interested in the 16th century Dutch painting, which eventually became for him an inexhaustible source inspiration, his muse and guide to long years creativity. Then he did not succumb to the persuasion of his teachers, who urged him to draw in a more modern style. (Photo: Jacek Yerka/facebook.com).

An important stage Jacek Jerka's artistic career began with drawing posters. While still a student, his posters gained great popularity, as well as many awards at national and international competitions. However, after a few years the artist devoted himself entirely to painting. (Photo: Jacek Yerka/facebook.com).

Since the 80s, Jacek Jerka has been creating surreal, colorful paintings in which he shows countries inhabited by mysterious creatures and objects and his version famous landscapes. Your vision of the world. His main source of inspiration is the Polish village, where he often visits, as well as dreams and memories from his childhood, especially walks with his beloved grandmother in the forest. (Photo: Jacek Yerka/facebook.com).

How does the artist create such fantastic, color-rich paintings? When he has an idea, he sketches it on paper with colored pencils and then asks his wife and four daughters for their opinions, he said. If they like the project, it becomes the basis for pastel paintings, which he has been painting for almost 20 years. (Photo: Jacek Yerka/facebook.com).

In 1995, Jacek Jerka's paintings received one of the most prestigious awards in the field of science fiction - the World Fantasy Award. (Photo: Jacek Yerka/facebook.com).