Formism
The Formism (Polish Formizm , also Polish Formism was called) an artistic and literary movement of the Polish avant-garde in the years 1917 to 1922 included the following Formists artists of different genres visual and performing arts, writers and musicians. In addition to the Unism of Władysław Strzemiński the Formism is one of the two most important characteristics of the Polish avant-garde.
history
As early as 1910, various Polish artists began to look for a new style in contrast to the then established understanding of art of Młoda Polska , which was common in Poland . In addition to the rejection of the realistic , naturalistic and symbolic art cultivated here , strong artistic developments in neighboring Western European countries at this time also flowed into the avant-garde considerations: cubism , expressionism and futurism . The group that formed in Kraków , which initially called itself the “Polish Expressionists”, organized an extensive art exhibition for the first time on November 4, 1917 ( 1. Wystawa Ekspresyonistów Polskich ) with 120 works. The exhibits also included traditional reverse glass paintings from the Podhale region - a sign of recognition of even naive art and a reference to the group's close ties to Polish traditions.
At the group's third exhibition in Cracow in the summer of 1918, the artists then appeared under the name Polish Formists ( Formiści Polscy ). In Warsaw , Lvov and Poznan now also formistische groups formed. By 1922, the formists held a total of 13 exhibitions in the cities mentioned; some in cooperation with the Poznan artist group “Bunt”. During the same period, six issues of the art magazine "Formiści" (German: "Die Formisten"), which they published, appeared. At the turn of the year 1921/1922 the strongest regional grouping (in Cracow) fell apart, which marked the end of the Polish formists.
Understanding and meaning
The formists dealt with the importance of form, which was assigned the primary role in design. In doing so, they contradicted naturalism, which attempted to precisely depict reality in art. Based on Cubism, the (perspective) depth of the depicted was dissolved in the surface and an attempt was made to perceive reality from different points of view. The break with the traditional design of the room was underlined by the use of exaggerated contours and contrasts. The form of the design should enable a visual implementation of the experience through the mental immersion in the environment. The result moved between the two poles of abstraction and objectivity.
The main aim of the formists was to create a modern, national and strong style of expression. For this purpose, the currents of the Western European avant-garde had to be combined with local traditions. What connects the works and forms of expression of the formists is the attempt to define this sought-after Polish spirit of modernity. However, the variety of experiments with expressionist, cubist, futuristic, abstract and naive design forms led to a wide range of forms of representation, which often did not appear uniform. Polish Futurism was unable to create an original theory that could be defined in terms of its design, but it formed the basis for a renewal of Polish art and literature in terms of form and, in some cases, thematic terms. He was the forerunner of later Polish artist groups, such as the “ Awangarda Krakowska ”, “Blok” or Praesens .
Representative
The most important theoretician of the formists was Leon Chwistek , who is also considered the founder of the movement. Important supporters in Kraków were Tytus Czyżewski , Henryk Gotlib , Jan Hrynkowski , Jacek Mierzejewski , Tymon Niesiołowski , the brothers Andrzej and Zbigniew Pronaszko , Konrad Winkler , Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz and August Zamoyski . Warsaw representatives were Romuald Kamil Witkowski , Wacław Wąsowicz , Jerzy Zaruba and Mieczysław Szczuka . Leon Dołżycki and Ludwik Lille were active formists in Lviv .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b according to Irena Kossowska: Między tradycją i awangardą. Polska sztuka lat 1920. i 1930 at Culture.pl (in Polish)
Web links
- Markus Eberharter, On the Literary Theory of Polish Formism , on the occasion of the 5th conference of the Young Forum Slavic Literary Studies, Münster, September 2002 on Jfsl.de
- Markus Eberharter on the website of the Alpen-Adria University Klagenfurt
- Brief information on the Ketterer Kunst website