Zygmund Jankowski: Ambiguity Confirmed
* Opening Reception Saturday, March 3, 2007 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
* Exhibition continues through Sunday, June 17, 2007
Inside the studio of artist Zygmund Jankowski you’ll find the same silk flowers and vases that have been the focus of his signature still life paintings for over fifty years. But, even a connoisseur of Jankowski’s work would be hard pressed to identify these recurring motifs from painting to painting. Artist and art critic Charles Movalli has said: ‘In front of a motif, he [Jankowski] can do fifteen paintings, one after another’all different. Each time, another facet of the material catches his interest.’ Jankowski can go back to a subject time and time again and make it new. He is especially well-known for his series of jazz inspired paintings, his erotica series and his Vermont and Gloucester-based landscapes.
Despite being a self-proclaimed hermit, Jankowski’s work engages the viewer with its vivacious palette, which matches his equally colorful personality. His wide, flat brushstrokes make the paint come alive. His use of color has been compared to Matisse and his expressive brush stroke to that of DeKooning. His work has been identified with Abstract Expressionism, but classifying Zyg’s artwork becomes difficult because as Charles Movalli points out, ‘You don’t go to Zyg to be assured’ you go to be surprised. Surprised by an interesting personality at work. The unexpected is what is expected of him’ and isn’t that an enviable and liberating position for any artist?’
Zygmund Jankowski has lived his life embracing the unexpected paths that have opened up before him. Born in South Bend, Indiana he entered the Navy as a young man and it was during that time that he had his first one-man show. He later went to the California College of Arts and Crafts (University of California at Berkeley) where he earned his degree. Afterwards, he pursued a career in advertising.
Jankowski likes to tell the tale of how it was through a wrong turn that he came to Gloucester. Zyg later returned to Gloucester where he has established himself as an artist, teacher, and an integral part of the community. The annual courses that Jankowski teaches through the Rockport Art Association become filled before the dates are even posted. At eighty-one Jankowski is still a prolific painter, filling canvases and joking that his favorite painting is the next one that he will create.
Ambiguity Confirmed will feature a vast cross section of Jankowski’s extensive body of work, including: self portraits, still lifes, landscapes, and paintings from his jazz and erotica series. His work is a palette for the imagination, an experience for every viewer. There is a pulsating rhythm to his work. The blur of vibrant figures and forms dance across the canvas challenging the viewer’s sense of perspective. He imbues emotion and evokes emotion through his untraditional use of form, space and color which combine to depict traditional subjects. The Cape Ann Historical Museum will host an opening reception on Saturday, March 3 at 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. The exhibition will continue through Sunday, June 17, 2007.
The Cape Ann Historical Museum is located at 27 Pleasant Street in Gloucester. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Sundays from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The Museum is closed during the month of February, on Mondays and on major holidays. Admission is $6.50 adults, $6.00 seniors, $4.50 students, children under 6 and Museum members are free. The Museum is wheelchair accessible. For more information please call: (978) 283-0455. Additional information can be found online at: www.capeannhistoricalmuseum.org.