Q&A with Anna Wypych #oilpainter #contemporaryrealism #figurativerealism
Anna Wypych, based in Poland, paints realistic portraits in the traditional oil technique. Her art contains elements of hyperrealism, surrealism and pure imaginative. Characteristic of her are philosophical texts, which always complements her works. Artist concentrates on the human condition and her powerful women portraits show a variety of inner strength which can be found in people seen from the positive point of view.
Anna Wypych – winner of Purchase Award ‘14th International ARC Salon’ Art Renewal Center. Her paintings are in permanent collections of: of the European Museum of Modern Art, Barcelona in Spain, and the National Museum in Gdansk, Poland. She presented her works at many juried exhibitions including: BP Portrait Award 2014, National Portrait Gallery, London; Modportrait 2014, 2016 and 2018 Foundation Bantierra and IAACC Pablo Serrano Zaragoza; and MEAM, Barcelona; 11th International 2014-2015 ARC Salon at the Salmagundi Club, New York, NYC, USA. Her works were published in such magazines like American Art Collector, PoetsArtists, Revista Ophelia, Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine, and others.
The Paintings of Anna Wypych are included in prestigious collections such as The Bennett Collection of Women Realists, The Basil Alkazzi & Halima Nalecz Purchase Foundation, Marie Marek Pienkowski Foundation, and Art Foundation of Ergo Hestia group. She has presented her work in galleries and museums in Europe and the USA. She lives and works in Gdynia, Poland.
Anna Wypych | Long Calm Nap | oil on canvas | 20in round | 2020.
What concept or narrative is behind your work?
I am a romantic thinker. At some point I decided to stay naive to no matter what is happening in the world. I try to behave and being good is a better option and will win at the end. My art is a result of this thinking. I keep my sad thoughts for myself and share only those that could bring the viewer hope, satisfaction and help grow inner power in people. My art is my small drop of positivity, I send to the world. That is why I keep returning in my paintings to the topic of inner strength and being positive.
My paintings tell stories about feelings and thoughts. I concentrate on the human condition, and this is what fascinates me and is the main part of my art activity. I believe in people, that we are good, strong and wise. But what hypnotizes me the most is inner power, the strength of character, that elusive factor which makes a difference. This lets the weaker opponent, win. Fierceness, obstinacy, and persistence is somewhere between those characteristics. I love to seek thoughts which live at the edge of consciousness. These thoughts shape us truly. Somewhere in all this, I reflect on the essence of humanity, and I seek in us, the most important internal force, the one which determines the character which shapes what we think. The intrinsic, inner power, will never cease to fascinate me. It is just as the universe is contained in the eyes. I am a painter, artist, woman, mother, wife, human, precisely in that order. I like to taste the life, like that – slowly – deliberately. I like to philosophize, and it results in my paintings – projects. Each of them is a separate thought, a feeling that’s why I often expand them with a kind of compliment – short texts about inspirations and poems. And that’s why they often are appearing in my work, and one thought continues onto the next painting. One feeling leads us to another.
Do you ever venture out of your creative process to try out new things?
Actually, every time. It's like my way of mixing colors. Some people prepare a few tones at the beginning of work, and then use them for painting the whole figure. I can't stop myself and create a new palette every time. Every tiny part of a painting has to have a different tone. The creative process is a little different each time because every one of my paintings is about something different. I just am bored very easily, and do not like to repeat myself. This is very funny that I think like that because at the same time I can spend several hours painting one tiny eye (1 inch square), or work the whole day at skin details on part of a hand. I guess I need new goals and challenges to work. That is why I adjust my creative process, inspiration and every step of technical work to the idea - which is different each time.
Which was your breakthrough piece? Tell us more about it.
After graduating from the Academy of Fine Arts, I took my first steps in the art market. Like everyone, I got to a difficult point after a while and struggled with doubts and difficulties. Then, instead of choosing the easier path, I decided to put everything on one card and did my best. I tried not to think too much about what might go wrong and focused on painting the best work I could. It was my self-portrait with the tattoo, in a way it was my statement and decision about the future. I submitted the painting to the "Figurativas" one of the biggest figurative realism competitions in Europe. I did not pass to anything by then, but the director of MEAM, saw something in my work. Jose Manuel Infiesta decided to include my self-portrait in the permanent collection of this prestigious museum. Later I found out that I was one of the first artworks bought by this Museum. almost at the same time, the same painting caught the eye of Michelle Ward, owner of Principle gallery. She invited me to collaborate and that was my first serious step showing in the USA. This one painting - one decision brought me to the right path, on which I am till now.
What current trends are you following and why?
There are too many of them. I am not a person who somehow follows trends - I change too frequently. I do my own thing, I create what I like and feel and I don't care if the painting fits into something or not. I have always followed my intuition and so far this way I do the best art. For me, it doesn't work when I try to follow.
What’s hanging above your sofa?
For a long time, I had a few works by my friends who are also artists, but much more serious collecting began around 2 years ago when I started exchanging size for size with artists. My collection contains several paintings and graphics usually in a small size. I love every single piece of work I have, and my walls are full of them. It is such a great pleasure to look at them every day! I like small formats because I have little space to hang them, and it is much easier to exchange with artists. At my collection, I have mainly works of Polish artists, but recently I started to exchange internationally. I do this only once or twice a year so it is growing slowly. Since I became a collector myself I understand other collectors better. In the past, I had many theories, but now I think that the right painting just has to find the right collector - simply.
Steel Eyes | Oil on Panel | 20 x 16 inches | PAINTING THE FIGURE NOW, 2020
