Karol Bąk Paintings

Karol Bąk is a versatile artist – he is a painter, illustrator and graphic designer. His paintings are characterized by illusiveness and surrealism, and bring their viewers into the dreamlike world. The artist was born in 1961 in Koło. He graduated from the School of Fine Arts in Poznań and then started his studies at the Faculty of Graphic Arts at the National Higher School of Fine Arts (today's Academy of Fine Arts) in the same city. He graduated with distinction with two degrees – in drawing under the guidance of Prof. Jarosław Kozłowski and in graphic art under the guidance of Prof. Tadeusz Jackowski. Both professors instilled in Bąk, among other things, his passion for playing with illusion and the urge to create free art which can be interpreted individually in line with a particular context. In the first couple of years after his studies the artist produced mainly copperplate engravings and drawings as well as designed commercial billboards and advertisements. Since 2000 he has been professionally engaged mostly in creating oil paintings and drawings. The artist’s paintings come in thematic series such as e.g. ”Dialogues/Dialogi”, ”Aureole/Aureole”, ”Judith and Salome/Judyta i Salome”, ”Sailing Ship/Żaglowiec”, ”The Four Elements/Cztery żywioły”, ”Cocoons/Kokony”, and others. Bąk has held more than a dozen solo and group exhibitions in, among others, Germany, Holland and Poland. At present the works of art by Karol Bąk are becoming more and more popular and highly valued both in Poland and abroad. The artist himself says that he has long been searching for his artistic path and that his search is still not finished. After all, it is not the end that counts but the journey itself and the experience we gain while being on it.