Sculptor: Igor Mitoraj, Cracow, Poland (Photo: Monika Saczyńska, December 2010)
The bronze sculpture of a tied up head of a young man stands on the main marketplace of Cracow, near to the town hall tower. The sculpture, a gift from Igor Mitoraj (1944-2014), has been brought to Cracow in October 2005. The initial localisation has been very controversial. Its placement on the main marketplace was criticised by historians and art critics, who argued that being a new object it disturbs the centuries long harmony of the historical space. The inhabitants of Cracow, voting in a referendum organised by the city administration, chose a new place for the sculpture, in front of the Cracow Gallery, in the vicinity of the old railroad station.
2013 there was an open space exhibition of works by Igor Mitoraj – on the main market place of Cracow. The exhibition consisted of 14 bronze sculptures showing human figures, in the characteristic style of the artist. Igor Mitoraj, fascinated by ancient Greek and renaissance sculptures, worked with human body representations. Fragmentary silhouettes, fragments of bodies and heads remind of archaeological finds. In this way, while reminding us of antique traditions, they develop further the tale of passing, going away, fragility and at the same time persistence, survival and conservation.
____________________________________________
Yesterday died great artist: Andrzej Wajda, the icon of Polish cinema. Honor his memory!
Art has many names 