Background
Leon Tarasewicz was born on March 14, 1957 in Waliły, Poland.
Leon Tarasewicz was born on March 14, 1957 in Waliły, Poland.
Leon studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw under Tadeusz Dominik, graduating in 1984.
Since 1996, Leon has taught art at his alma mater, Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw.
The original formula apparent in Leon's paintings has emerged from the observation of landscape (free from human influence, and full of inner rhythm) – woods, fields and birds. His works from the 1980s were a clear manifestation of that mechanism, but very soon they started resembling abstract, regularly composed decorative carpets (sometimes reaching very large sizes) with repeating motifs (tree trunks, nursery gardens, stitches of ploughed fields, birds circling in the sky), rather than reflections of reality. They were dominated by pure painting qualities: colour, texture and light. At the same time, this simplicity of expression was – and still is – almost orthodox: Tarasewicz mainly uses primary colours, and occasionally introduces contrasting complementary colours and black.
For many years, Tarasewicz has been applying his own specific methods in developing his activities that border on conceptual and installation art. When painting directly on the walls of the exhibition rooms, covering them from top to bottom, including the additional elements found in them (a furnace, electric cables), he creates special kinds of paintings which, just like his works on canvas and paper, fall under his interests in space and air.
The painter's major works are the large scale project in a city space – Barcelona’s vast Plaza Real (2002) and his 2003 project, prepared for the CCA Ujazdowski Castle.
The artist created a monumental mural commemorating the non-existent mosaic of Ignacy Bieniek on the outer wall of the shopping and entertainment center Gemini Park in Bielsko-Biała. Tarasewicz worked on the 450-square-metre work from May till September 2009.
Leon's largest project in public space is a 3-metre-high structure with an area of nearly 200 square meters, containing an unusual maze of paintings and mirrors at the Artists Square in Kielce, in 2011.
In 2013, Tarasewicz prepared an exhibition of painting without paintings. The artist covered the floor of the Biała Gallery in Lublin with multicoloured squares.
Tarasewicz has taken part in numerous presentations of Polish art abroad. He has exhibited at Berlin’s Springer & Winckler Galerie (1998, 2001) and in Frankfurt am Main (1992, 1996), Galerie Nordenhake in Stockholm (1989, 1991, 1993, 2001), and Galleria del Cavallino in Venice (1986, 1989, 2001).
Tarasewicz attained numerous awards during his lifetime, including Gloria Artis Medal, Paszport Polityki Award, Jan Cybis Award and others.
In 2011, Leon was made a Knight of the Order of Polonia Restituta.
The artist's works are kept at National Museum in Warsaw, Muzeum Sztuki in Łodz, Moderna Musset in Stockholm and other museums.
Leon Tarasewicz is a president of Rare Poultry Breeders’ Association.
