Mitoraj: od mitu do… Oświęcimia

Abstract

Mitoraj: from myth to… Oświęcim

The subject of the article is a formal and semantic analysis or selected works by Igor Mitoraj (1944–2014), a sculptor of Polish origin, whose work was created under the influence of the art of Antiquity. Like the Greek masters, he made use of marble and bronze as well as of classical forms, while also selecting themes associated with mythology: “Looking back at my work, I am increasingly convinced that the art of Antiquity was and is for me the ideal, and also ties in with a nostalgia for a lost Eden”, he stated. In spite of evident references to classical works, his sculptures introduce a new quality, which departs from the spirit of Antiquity: Eros bendato, located in the Main Marketplace in Kraków, or Asklepios, in the Remembrance Museum of Land of Oświęcim Residents (Museum Commemorating the Inhabitants of the Oświęcim Region), catch the attention of every passer-by and every visitor, but, with the exception of the obligatory photograph taken beside the sculpture, do they evoke any deeper refections or connotations with the Greek world?