Against the Darkness, For Life

Murielle Gagnebin—art critic, psychoanalyst, longtime friend of Czapski, and author of the first monograph devoted to the work of Józef Czapski—returns to readers with a book-album, published in Polish, French, and English under the title “A Man in the Image of His Work.” The author provides an in-depth analysis of 11 paintings and 63 sketches and watercolors by the artist, creating a portrait of Czapski as someone enchanted by life (as she herself describes him). She marvels at his constant admiration for the everyday, his consistent exploration of the urban landscape, his framing of figures in his paintings, and his choice of colors. Gagnebin calls Czapski a painter of the unconscious and invites the reader to join her in viewing the artist’s works, which are full of the mystery of life. The commentary on Czapski’s art is embedded in the context of the dramatic events of his life. The reader can learn long-unknown details about Józef Czapski’s release from the Starobielsk camp in 1940, which spared him from being shot in the back of the head at Katyń by Russians. Czapski himself did not learn the truth until shortly before his death.

Life delighted Czapski the artist with its most subtle manifestations, even though Czapski the man had endured inhuman experiences within it.

Take a moment to read the book about Józef Czapski’s work, in the Year of Józef Czapski 2026, designated by the Sejm of the Republic of Poland.

Beata Ciacek

(translated by B.C.with the DeepL.com)