Cecylia Wiśniewska-Maćkiewicz, Grudziądz, 1956

Etching on paper, signed and dated: "Cecylia Wiśniewska 1956".

Framed: 63x53 cm (35x27 cm).

Provenance: equipment of Bristol Hotel in Warsaw in years 1945-65.

Cecylia Wiśniewska (Gudziądz 1928 - 1999) - Polish graphic designer, librarian. In 1948, she graduated from the Humanistic High School in Grudziądz, and in 1953 - artistic studies at the Faculty of Fine Arts of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń (in the graphic arts studio under the supervision of Professor Jerzy Hoppen and Edward Kuczyński). She settled in Toruń permanently. Until 1974, she intensively developed her artistic passions. Then she devoted herself to family life. At the beginning of the 90s she returned to creative interests taking part in exhibitions and meetings. She died in 1999. After graduating, she started working as a decorator at MHD. From 1954, she joined the University Library in Toruń, where she worked in the Art Cabinet (from 1975 until his retirement at the end of 1988, as the head of the department). Creativity As a young graphic artist, she actively participated in the Torun artistic life. She made frequent artistic journeys. She wandered around Poland looking for motives for her works - usually closed in a series of themes. Its main cycles are "Pomerania", "Grudziądz", "Toruń", "Pomeranian Copernicus route". In the years 1960-1961 she took part in Mediterranean cruises on the Romanian ship "Transylvania" and a commercial ship "Toruń" to West Africa, which resulted in a series of prints from Turkey, Egypt, Libya, Tunis, Greece and Italy. From 1961, she created a graphic series of monuments of Warmia and Mazury, including Olsztyn, Lidzbark Warmiński, Pasym, Święta Lipka, Kętrzyn, Reszel, Morąg, Frombork, and Ostróda. In 1957, she visited Elbląg. In total, almost 60 graphics and drawings related to this region were created. Each of the cycles counts about 20 works made with different techniques. She often came back to etching, she used the so-called method. chipping and other "etched" techniques. She also searched for new techniques, experimenting with, among others with the treatment of a metal plate. She colored her drawings in an economical way, as if "rubbed" into the structure of the drawing. In later works she used a linocut. Her work, as a realistic one, clearly cut off from the avant-garde graphic of Toruń's generation. Thematic focus was on the architectural landscape and historic architecture. As she emphasized - in architecture she was interested in detail, individual objects, and backyards. Instead, it avoided building complexes. A frequent motif of her works are cloisters, towers and gates of medieval buildings of Warmia and Mazury. In addition to engravings and drawings, she also created utility graphics (illustration projects, book covers, including children's, posters).