Stopped glances. A story about the world, shadow and imagination — an exhibition of works by Magdalena Krotowska

We invite you to the Chylonia Centrum Library for an exhibition of works by Magdalena Krotowska. The opening will take place on 19 October at 18.00 and the exhibition will be on view in our gallery until the end of November, during the opening hours of the branch. The exhibition entitled “Detained glances” is a record of the author's continuous, humble search for matter. The artist slowly and in layers brings form out of the darkness. In his works, he relies on classic chiaroscuro (deep chiaroscuro) and soft sfumato, which allows the edges to melt smoothly and dreamily into the background. He shapes these transitions by continually exploring the possibilities of raw coal, velvety PanPastels, and pure pigments.

A particular challenge for her is the works created using the historical silverpoint technique. This is a strict, unforgiving method that requires iron discipline and teaches tremendous respect for the workshop. It perfectly captures the artist's way of looking at the world, focused on the smallest detail.

In order to fully show the creative path of the author, the exhibition was supplemented with certified Giclée pigment prints. Thanks to them, visitors can also see those works that have already found their place in new houses.

Magdalena Krotowska looks for hidden beauty and magical realism in everyday life — from intimate portraits to dreamlike, fairytale worlds, details of nature and the architecture of the Gdynia marina. It keeps emotions on paper. Her creative path deliberately bypasses academic schemes, remaining in a continuous process of study and exploration. She learned the craft, returning to her classical roots: under the guidance of an aunt-painter, in drawing courses and in a frank dialogue with other artists. An extremely important foundation for her was that from the age of 14 she was led by a marriage of art historians. It was they who taught her to deeply, analytically “read” the works of former masters, giving insight into the secrets and layers of the picture, which are usually not experienced by the ordinary viewer. Equipped with this knowledge, she traveled through Polish and European museums and studied albums, carefully searching for an understanding of proportion and chiaroscuro.

Life, however, wrote a script that forced her to redefine her own boundaries. After losing sensation in the left, leading hand, wanting to return to life's passion, only three years ago she was forced to switch to the right hand. Starting from scratch, she then created her own unique technique. In turn, its field of view, which is only 10%, has become not a limitation, but an unusual filter. It forces her to focus extremely pointedly on light and texture, allowing her to see what is often missed by others. It was the most difficult lesson of patience, of which the artist herself says: “True art is not born of a diploma or a skilled hand, but in the heart and imagination. The hand is just a tool.”

Admission is free.