Poland in Paper

At Commune, we find ourselves regularly amazed by the multiplicity of talents most creatives have in their inventory. We expect them to be conversant in the skills for which they are most highly regarded, of course, but we really do prefer to focus on the art and craft rendered behind the scenes (far from galleries, collectors, clients). Becoming privy to these passion projects tells us something more intimate about each artist, and in the end, it’s really what inspires us the most.

Bearing this in mind, our research this week brings us to eastern Europe. Namely, to two designers situated in Poland’s design history: Józef Gosławski and Jan Kurzątkowski. They were a sculptor and a furniture designer, respectively. But the two were also artists who, given this timely holiday post, produced a rather thematic series of personal works.

The first few images included here are chairs designed by Kurzątkowski (1899-1975), who was a furniture designer and spear-headed the interior design wing of the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. He was fascinated by the ways in which different materials afforded themselves to the shapes of 3-D objects. This becomes obvious in the following images, as paper sculpture (Christmas ornaments!) became a medium for him to explore this tension. It’s interesting to see the ways in which his furniture designs and paper sculptures speak the same language.

If Kurzątkowski set the scene for Polish paper sculpture, Gosławski (1908-1963) essentially became the scene. The depth of his paper toy collection is something incredible. We found these Christmas toys after reading an article produced by the National Museum in Warsaw, where there was an exhibition that featured them. He created the toys for his children beginning in the 1930’s, building each year upon a collection that amounted to over 40 different pieces. They trace the history of design and the emergence of modernity in a way that is more organic perhaps than the acutely planned metal pieces might.  Further, they’re both whimsical and jovial while being executed with the technical mastery he utilizes in his metal sculptures as well.