Zdzisław Beksiński, polish fine artist, who was murdered in 2005

Zdzisław Beksiński (Februay 24, 1929 – February 21, 2005), evolved from "baroque" to "gothic". That's what he himself said, and in with the first classification he meant the "fantastic realism" that made him famous in the 1970's, where naturalistic representation and an intense post-apocalyptic atmosphere dominate; in the second group are the works from the 1990's to 2005, in which perspective doesn't play a dominant role, but he exploits the relationship between the flat surface and the three-dimentional ilusion, making it clear that painting is painting. Personally, I prefer the latter. They're more painterly and transcendental...

Untitled pencil drawing, 70 x 100 cm, 1968

Head, metal scupture, 1960

Beksinski graduated in architecture and worked in the field for a few years. In the 50's he started working with photography, doing some disturbing image juxtapositions and collages and did a few exhibitions in Poland. It seems that he also draw a lot. In the 1960's painting gained more of his attention and in 1964 he had his first successful solo show in Warsaw, with all paintings sold out. Studying by himself he worked hard to achieve the painting techniques that helped him get famous as a fantastic realist in the 1970's. He painted in oils on hardboard prepared by himself.

Wife portrait, photography from 1956-57

Photography from the 1950's.

Montagem com fotografia digital, 2000-2005

computer photomontage, 1996-1997

Links:
One of the many YouTube videos from his fans

>>The artist's official site where the site's design, created in flash by Jarosław Kubicki, impresses more than the selection of Beksinski's artworks showni.

>>DmochowskiGallery.net, the virtual gallery created by the man responsible for popularizing Beksinski's work, Piotr Dmochowski.