„Pejzaż górski nie odpowiadał mi malarsko”, Zakopiański epizod graficzny Jana Skotnickiego

Abstrakt: W artykule omówiona została graficzna twórczość młodopolskiego malarza Jana Skotnickiego, przypadająca na lata 1909–1914. W 1908 r. artysta wraz z żoną Teodorą z Trenklerów wyjechali z Krakowa do Zakopanego. Pobyt artysty zbiegł się w czasie z intensywnym rozwojem kulturalnym kurortu. W miejscowe inicjatywy Skotnicki angażował się osobiście, przy finansowym wsparciu swego teścia, łódzkiego przemysłowca i kolekcjonera, Henryka Grohmana. Jednocześnie tutejszy krajobraz i popularna w owym czasie góralska sztuka ludowa, zupełnie artysty nie inspirowały, przez co niemal zarzucił malarstwo, a zainteresował się grafiką i kilimiarstwem. Polem nowych zainteresowań stała się otwarta staraniem Grohmana eksperymentalna pracownia wyposażona m.in. w prasy drukarskie. W kolejnych latach Skotnicki prezentował swoje ryciny na licznych wystawach, także tych towarzyszących organizowanym konkursom graficznym (1911, 1914), a po wyjeździe do Warszawy (1912) przyłączył się do Towarzystwa Przyjaciół Sztuk Graficznych. Skotnicki uprawiał techniki metalowe, bardzo szybko osiągając w nich wysoki poziom zauważony przez krytyków. Łączył akwafortę, akwatintę, suchą igłę i ruletkę, eksperymentował z drukiem barwnym i kolorował odbitki, mocno indywidualizował prace podczas ich odbijania, stosując tintę. Jego dorobek graficzny oszacowany zastał na ponad 50 kompozycji, przy czym w kolekcjach publicznych znajduje się ich obecnie przynajmniej 36. Są to pejzaże, widoki miasteczek i architektury, akty, studia postaci i zwierząt, w wielu przypadkach wzorowane na własnych szkicach i obrazach. Tematycznie i kompozycyjnie wykazują one wiele podobieństw do prac twórców młodopolskich, zarówno z grona profesorów (J. Stanisławski), jak i rówieśników podejmujących próby graficzne (W. Skoczylas). W sposobie budowania kompozycji, kadrowania, asymetrii i fragmentaryczności przedstawień widoczne są wpływy sztuki japońskiej, stanowiącej ważne źródło inspiracji za sprawą kolekcji i działalności Feliksa „Mangghi” Jasieńskiego. Znacząca była również kolekcja Grohmana, za pośrednictwem której Skotnicki mógł poznać twórczość XIX-wiecznych odnowicieli sztuk graficznych, jak i artystów kolejnych pokoleń (J.M. Whistler, F. Rops, E. Carrière), co znalazło odbicie w jego rycinach. Nieco zapomniana działalność Skotnickiego wpisuje się w ogólniejszą tendencję: zainteresowania młodopolskich artystów sztukami graficznymi i zaangażowania na rzecz ich popularyzacji na przełomie XIX i XX w. Jest przykładem poszukiwania własnego języka wypowiedzi w nowym medium, samodzielnie podejmowanego eksperymentu. Choć Skotnicki nie był pionierem sztuk graficznych na ziemiach polskich, to z pewnością stał się ich propagatorem. Summary: The article discusses the graphic output of Jan Skotnicki, a painter of Young Poland, which he created in the years 1909–1914. In 1908, the artist and his wife, Teodora née Trenkler, left Cracow for Zakopane. The artist’s stay there coincided with the intensive cultural development of the resort. Skotnicki was personally involved in local initiatives, with the financial support of his father-in-law, an industrialist and art collector from Łódź, Henryk Grohman. However, the local landscape and the highland folk art popular at that time did not suit him at all. As a result, he nearly gave up painting and became interested in prints and kilims. An experimental studio, opened thanks to Grohman’s efforts, became Skotnicki’s new field of interests. It was equipped with, among other things, printing presses. In the following years, Skotnicki presented his prints at numerous exhibitions, including those accompanying print competitions (in 1911 and 1914), and after moving to Warsaw (in 1912), he joined the Society of Friends of Graphic Arts. Skotnicki used metal techniques and quickly achieved a master level, which was noticed by critics. He combined etching, aquatints, drypoints and roulette, experimented with colour printing and coloured prints. He strongly individualised his works while creating prints by using tint. His graphic output was estimated at more than 50 compositions, with at least 36 currently in public collections. They include landscapes, views of towns and architecture, nudes, studies of figures and animals, which in many cases were modelled on his own sketches and paintings. In terms of themes and composition, they show many similarities to the works of Young Poland artists from the group of professors (J. Stanisławski) as well as peers undertaking graphic attempts (W. Skoczylas). The way of building the composition, framing, asymmetry and fragmentation of the representations reveal the influence of Japanese art, which was an important source of inspiration thanks to the collection and activity of Feliks "Manggha" Jasieński. Grohman’s collection was also significant, as Skotnicki could learn from it about the works of 19th-century restorers of graphic arts, as well as about the artists of subsequent generations (J. M. Whistler, F. Rops, E. Carrière), which was reflected in his prints. The somewhat forgotten activity of Skotnicki was part of a more general trend: the interest of Young Poland artists in graphic arts and their involvement in their popularisation at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. His output is an example of searching for one’s own language of expression in a new medium, and an experiment he performed independently. Although Skotnicki was not a pioneer of graphic arts in Poland, he certainly became their promoter.

Cultural Neuroaesthetics of Delicate Sadness Induced by Noh Masks

As an investigator of how culture interacts with neuroaesthetics in Japanese art, the author’s goal in the article under discussion is to explore the neural mechanisms involved in the social, affective, and cognitive processes of sadness induced by the Noh mask. Why do seemingly negative emotions, such as sadness, play a critical role in aesthetic experiences in the Noh theater? What brain activity is involved in feeling delicate sadness? Sadness induced by faces involves cortical interactions among various brain areas such as the amygdala, striatum, fusiform face area, and insula. The expectation for reward, hidden in the appreciation of the sad mask, might be a social reward. If so, it may be that appreciating sadness masks engages a common system that drives the expectation of negative rewards. The author ran a functional magnetic resonance imaging study in which participants’ brains were scanned while watching sad Noh masks. Results confirmed predictions, revealing activation of the right amygdala while viewing sad masks.

Some Aspects of the Activities of the Gallery Berès, Paris, France

The report examines some aspects of the activities of the Gallery Berès which is one of the most important french galleries, run by a third generation of gallerists. The gallery is located at Quai Voltaire 25 in Paris. The history of both the gallery and the Berès family, who are significant collectors and gallery owners is traced. The profile of the gallery, which specializes in two different areas: Japanese art and French painting from the 19th and 20th centuries is analyzed. The report examines some of the strategies of the gallery and in particular the participations in art fairs such as Brafa Art Fair, Tefaf, Biennale des Antiquaires and others. The report also analyzes the structure of the gallery, as well as the work of the team. The study also focuses on the role and the importance of the France’s National Antique Dealers Federation, which president is Anisabelle Berès-Montanari. The issue of the necessary certificates for export and authenticity that a work of art must have, depending on its value and other legal requirements related to the gallery activity in France is also considered.

Revisiting Gadamer's Conception of Works of Art

In contrast to Kant's aesthetic, Gadamer proposes a fundamentally different way of understanding our experiences of art. One that is not restricted by the dichotomy between subjectivity and objectivity: A work of art is not simply an object created by an artist, but a "world" in which all the "players" participate. This conception of art is inspired by the performing arts; but how much is it relevant to other forms of art? Gadamer never explored this question fully. It is of interest, therefore, to expand the analysis of Gadamer on two fronts: first, new forms of art such as installations and video games; second, artistic practices in East Asia, notably, the Japanese art of kintsugi and Chinese art of seals (zhāng). The analysis of these forms of art not only helps broaden the scope of Gadamer's theory, but shows also that the insights found in his works are more relevant than ever.

Perspective for a New Bioinspired Permanent Adhesive for dry Conditions - Insights in the Glue Producing Japanese art of Defence System of the Oita Salamander Hynobius dunni

Novel medical bioadhesives are proposed to fulfil numerous ideals as being biocompatible, non-toxic, include tissue healing and regeneration characteristics, have high mechanical properties onto different surfaces and other important key features. Mussel-inspired adhesives have provided the basis for many new applications under wet conditions. In contrast, the defence secretion system in amphibians may provide potential for novel fast-curing secretion able to adhere to surfaces under dry conditions. With the microanatomical and histochemical characterization of the endemic Japanese Oita salamander Hynobius dunni details on its anatomical organization, the nature of the chemical composition of both glue-producing glands and its divergence to the other well-characterized species Plethodon shermani are discussed. The study shows that the cutaneous glands of both glue-producing salamanders (H. dunni and P. shermani) exhibit certain morphological and histochemical similarities. Nevertheless, clear differences exist between the two species, especially with regard to the sugar composition of the mucous glands and the pH level of the granular glands. Moreover, the adhesive secretions of H. dunni show a clear reactivity to Arnow staining (indicating the presence of L-DOPA), which is lacking in P. shermani. This is the first indication of the presence of L-DOPA in the adhesive secretions of a terrestrial vertebrate, which has thus far only been found for marine invertebrates, such as mussels and polychaetes.

Origami Folding by Multifingered Hands with Motion Primitives

Origami, a traditional Japanese art, is an example of superior handwork produced by human hands. Achieving such extreme dexterity is one of the goals of robotic technology. In the work described in this paper, we developed a new general-purpose robot system with sufficient capabilities for performing Origami. We decomposed the complex folding motions into simple primitives and generated the overall motion as a combination of these primitives. Also, to measure the paper deformation in real-time, we built an estimator using a physical simulator and a depth camera. As a result, our experimental system achieved consecutive valley folds and a squash fold.

De-Creation in Japanese Painting: Materialization of Thoroughly Passive Attitude

This paper demonstrates the method and meaning behind the argument that contemporary philosophers have found the key to “de-creation” in potentiality by implementing it in artwork. While creation in the usual sense seems to imply an active attitude, de-creation implies a passive attitude of simply waiting for something from the outside by constructing a mechanism to set up the gap to which something outside comes. The methods of de-creation are typically found in representations of reality using “Kakiwari,” which is commonly observed in Japanese art. Kakiwari was originally a stage background and has no reverse side; that is, there is no other side to the space. Mountains in distant views are frequently painted like a flat board as if they were Kakiwari. It shows the outside that is imperceptible, deviating from the perspective of vision. The audience can wait for the outside without doing anything (“prefer not to do”) in front of Kakiwari. It is the potentiality of art and it realizes de-creation. This paper extends the concept of de-creation by presenting concrete images and methods used in the author’s own works that utilized Kakiwari. This orients to the philosophy of the creative act by the artist herself.

Using gradient origamis to pre-program curvatures

Origami structures are a traditional Japanese art which have recently found their way into engineering applications due to their powerful capability to transform flat 2D structures into complex 3D structures along their creases. Here, gradient Miura-ori origamis are introduced as a method to pre-program out-of-plane curvatures. Nine types of unit cell distributions in the origami lattice structure including checkered, linear gradient, concave radial gradient, convex radial gradient, and striped have been considered. These distributions of Miura-ori origami can create twisting, saddling, bending, local inflation, and wavy shapes, as well as their combinations when the origami lattice structure is loaded in compression.