Michal Lukasiewicz, (b.1974) Untitled 25

Michal Lukasiewicz, acrylic on canvas 62x70cm
Michal Lukasiewicz was born in 1974 in Pulawy, Poland, and has been living and working in Antwerp, Belgium since 1995. "My paintings have a human figure, a soft tenderness that can be conveyed to the viewer; never the anger of the world, but the peace and harmony that people are capable of. I was influenced by life in Belgium and painters from the Benelux countries, and I try to show the peaceful side of the subject by using light, light reflections and shadows to emphasize its form and curves . I never use color, but the subtlety of shade to achieve these effects. I try to achieve smoothness of skin and flesh so that the viewer does not see the brushstrokes. I have developed this technique for painting the human body and have made works in many collections ". http://www.tuttartpitturasculturapoesiamusica.com/2010/12/michal-lukasiewicz.html "Michal Lukasiewicz's portraits are instantly recognizable, characterized above all by the striking intensity of his subjects. From the age of ten, Lukasiewicz wanted to emulate his older brother, who attended a high school that places a strong emphasis on art. Following in his brother's footsteps, he studied at the same school and has rarely put down his pencils and brushes since. Throughout his career, Lukasiewicz has been fascinated by the human form, culminating in his distinctive, subtle but penetrating portraits. His sources of inspiration are wide-ranging, and his works, an interesting combination of acrylic and gesso, often blur the lines between drawing, sculpture and painting. His influences range from the Renaissance and the 19th century masters to modernism, and his poses often reference classical sculpture appealing to tradition and excellence. All the works capture a relatively simple moment, but there is a more complex message behind them, a timeless quality reinforced by the lack of references to contemporary life.