Janina Kraupe (1921–2016)
Portrait of a Woman, 1940s
pastel on paper, 25 x 17.5 cm
signed on the reverse: J. Kraupe
In 1938, she began her studies at the Faculty of Painting of the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków in Paweł Dadlez’s studio; After the outbreak of World War II, she studied under Fryderyk Pautsch at the Staatliche Kunstgewerbeschule Krakau, from which she graduated in 1941. From 1942, she spent a year participating in the activities of an underground theater led by Tadeusz Kantor. After the war ended, she returned to the academy, where her teachers included Eugeniusz Eibisch, who taught easel painting, and Wacław Taranczewski, who taught monumental painting. At the same time, she was a student in the graphic arts department, where her instructors included Andrzej Jurkiewicz and Konrad Srzednicki. In 1947, she completed her studies at the Department of Painting (receiving her diploma in 1955), and a year later, she completed her studies in graphic arts. Professionally, she was affiliated with her alma mater, where she became an associate professor in 1980 and a full professor seven years later. From 1957, she was associated with the Kraków Group; she was also a member of the Oneiron Group, based in Katowice. Janina Kraupe-Świderska’s work shows a strong influence of Far Eastern cultures and Zen philosophical principles. In addition to easel and mural painting, the artist worked in printmaking; most of her works feature surrealist and abstract scenes with elements of astrology and magic.
