Red-hot, ice-cold
Martta Węg's show at the Katarzyna Napiórkowska Art Gallery is simply entitled "Paintings." The works themselves are simple in the most complimentary sense of the word, featuring the artist's primary subject, women, in a variety of settings. The paintings present a feeling of tranquility that comes from the graceful figures and expressions of the women depicted, balancing the intensity of the color that characterizes the artistist's style.
The 30 portraits on display present a dichotomy of strength and passivity through the juxtaposition of fiery crimsons or icy shades of blue with the sloping postures of females at leisure - contemplative and sensual.
Katarzyna Napiórkowska describes Węg's work as subtle, considering the artist's use of color an innovation that plays with the color palette, expanding the spectrum while creating a symphony of tone and harmony. She calls the paintings themeselves "monologues that at once express emotion along with the ephemeral and unknown."
Since her debut in 2002, Węg's work has been met with increasing interest and praise on the part of critics and collectors. She has won a number of grants and awards from Polish and European academic and state institutions. Napiórkowska's gallery hosted a show for the artist in France and Węg has also had her work exhibited in Great Britain and Holland.
The exhibition will run through May at the gallery's flagship location on ul. więtokrzyska 32
