Prof. Hanna Jelonek
Faculty of Sculpture
Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw
RECOMMENDATION
for the project ‘Rediscovering the Work of Eugeniusz Sawczyn’
Eugeniusz Sawczyn (1956–1998) was a graduate of the Faculty of Sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw; after completing his studies, he remained associated with the Faculty of Sculpture and served as a lecturer there for many years. He also remained my friend from my student days. And that is, and always will be, my first response, my first thought when I think of Eugeniusz and his magnificent body of work. We were in the same year and studied in the same master’s studio led by Professor Kazimierz Gustaw Zemła.
I hold Eugeniusz Sawczyn’s work in very high regard! His creations—sculptures and reliefs—bear witness to his immense talent and hard work. Always well-considered and original, they were created in a state of calm and concentration. This approach to the idea, which is not devoid of an intimate, poetic narrative, resulted in a sensitive, synthetic, and also extraordinary construction of form. Thanks to this, the artist’s works remain very credible to the viewer. They surprise with their immense emotional charge, compelling the viewer to reflect and ponder, and to continue to feel genuine admiration. Years after their creation, how powerful and compelling they remain!
For me, it is also a kind of catharsis, a testament to inner alienation, an escape from the everyday to matters of the utmost importance. It is a mystery we should strive to uncover. The materials, forms and ideas in Sawczyn’s works are, for me, an expression of resistance, a challenge to the mechanisms that also shape today’s reality. And this ‘hidden dimension’ is precisely the fundamental criterion for assessing his sculptures, medals and every artistic expression.
Making Eugeniusz Sawczyn’s body of work available to the public and promoting his art is a fantastic idea. I wholeheartedly recommend this project!
Prof. Hanna Jelonek, 2025
