Michael Gwozdz
American, Painter


From the minuscule to the monumental, the works of Michael Gwozdz tear large swaths of history and humanity from the pages of time, culling the quiet moments of an artist’s ontology.

Natura Ludzka showcases the visual brilliance of Michael Gwozdz. Most striking about Gwozdz’s work is his masterful adept handling of color and space. With an adept understanding of classic compositional design and the principles of optical mixing, he generates ardent and sentient scenes, often with an elevating and playful melancholy. Using the most elemental components of art, Gwozdz creates complex compositions with salient ease and simplicity. Whether it is the use of well metered line and color or the rhythmic juxtaposition of colors, Gwozdz creates elegant and harmonious compositions.

It is through an intense intellect and an astute artistic eye that Gwozdz pulls together history and humanity. These are dominant themes in Natura Ludzka. Gwozdz draws direct reference via his personal history which is a rich mix of family relationships and artistic interests. The formal rendering of his subjects is his modus operandi, and a direct reference to these themes. His use of collage and mixed media is a physical reference to his intellectual intent of building and barrowing from the past. Discarded materials are vestiges of a collective past. He creates a blend of the familiar and the foreign, accessible and elusive, bringing lucidity to his dreamlike scenes.

The history of art is the history of humanity. Yet, oftentimes abstraction looks to remove both the viewer and the creator from work, thereby creating an adjacent metaphysical facsimile. However, here we see an artist delving into the heart of art, pulling close to the breast an undeniable truth: the relationship between creator and creation; a work of art is always and indelibly linked to those that have created it and those that experience it. The human influence is something that, however forceful, can not be removed. We see in the work of Michael Gwozdz a gentle hand. He has a sophisticated understanding of history and humanity, an acknowledgement and appreciation for artist and author, and an acceptance of artistic interaction between creator and creation. He compiles the patchwork pieces of the homogenous history of humanity, creating a portrait of the present.

Benjamin H. Hillis
Feast Gallery & Meeting Space Director