Alfred LENICA (1899 - 1977), Surrealistic Landscape with Trees

gouache, ink, paper; 70 x 99 cm
state of preservation: paper folds
Provenance: private collection Cracow

Studied political economy at the University of Poznan, deepened his musical studies at the Poznan Conservatory. In 1925, he took up studies at the Institute of Fine Arts under Adam Hanytkiewicz and Piotr Kubowicz. During World War II, he and his family lived in Cracow, where he became friends with painter Jerzy Kujawski, which influenced Lenica's interest in surrealism and his joining the current of activities of the then Cracow avant-garde centered around Tadeusz Kantor. In his work he drew on the achievements of Cubism, Surrealism, Tashism, Informel painting, actively participating in the development of post-war Polish art. After the war, he co-founded the avant-garde group 4F+R and belonged to the Cracow Group. He was the creator of the first Polish work from the informel trend (he returned to this trend in the second half of the 1950s). The artist was president of the Association of Polish Artists of the Poznań District.