Chrzan painted quickly. Determined to express the uniqueness of the moment, he could not afford to delay. The outcome of this creative enthusiasm are hundreds of outdoor scenes that allow the viewer to appear suddenly at a lake shimmering in the rising sun, to enter a secret ravine shrouded in trees, to walk through a meadow, a forest, or along a country path... Read more

Warsaw was Jan Chrzan's hometown. The paintings reveal his favourite plein-air motifs: Castle Square and the Old Town, Royal Lazienki Park, houses on the Vistula river, and the Royal Palace at Wilanow. Among the older paintings, we can find landscapes from the Mokotow district and the Warsaw suburbs – unique views that barely resemble the appearance of those places today... Read More

He kept many places close to his heart, not only Warsaw. Jan Chrzan’s paintings take us to Gdansk, Krakow, Kazimierz, and many other Polish towns and cities. These outdoor scenes exude life and energy and astonish the viewer with a richness of colour. Just look at the cutters sailing into the port of Gdansk, the idyllic view of Kazimierz-on-the-Vistula, or the picturesque vista of Sandomierz castle. These are images with which all Poles are familiar, yet on occasion the artist also reveals to us the beauty of lesser-known places, emerging somewhere in the background of a traditional Polish landscape.

The beauty of the female body is captured in the transient mood of a moment, seducing the onlooker with its natural charm, presented just as the artist saw it – nudity appreciated, revealed gracefully and without shame. Details are important, but not all-important. More significant is to capture the pose, the uniqueness of a gesture, the subtlety of form. In these works, too, we witness thick paint, bold brushstrokes and a flourish of colour.

This genre of painting should have a different name, for Chrzan’s still lifes are lively in their nature. Our impression is that of movement, freshness, warmth. As if those pink and white peonies were not standing in a vase, but growing somewhere in a garden, ruffled by the wind. As if the fruit laid out on a table were enticing us to eat. As if the air were filled with the scent of roses, while chrysanthemums appear puffed-up and proud, fighting for precedence on the canvas. The artist invites us here into a world in which the intended composition blends together with a spontaneous charm.

Here are the memorable words of the artist himself: The Warsaw Uprising is a subject to which I must return over and over again. I cannot remain silent. Through my creative work, I wish to communicate that which best reflects my own experiences and the experiences of my generation: the colleagues and friends who perished.  Read More