Leszek Sobocki (b. 1934, Częstochowa), From the series "Obłazi I," 1981

Biography
Leszek Sobocki is a Kraków-based painter, printmaker, poet, and essayist. From 1953 to 1956, he studied at the Department of Propaganda Graphics in Katowice. From 1956 to 1959, he studied at the Department of Painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków, where he earned his diploma in Wacław Taranczewski’s studio. He continued his education at the Department of Directing at the State Higher School of Theater and Film in Łódź until 1960. In 1965, together with Maciej Bieniasz, Zbylut Grzywacz, and Jackiej Waltos, he founded the Wprost group. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Prix d’achat at the 8th Graphic Arts Biennial in Ljubljana (1962), the 1st Prize from the Ministry of Culture and Art in the painting category at the 6th Art Festival in Warsaw (1976), the Grand Prix of the TPSP “Hommage to Wyspiański” Winter Salon in Kraków (1978), and the Grand Prix of the 2nd National Triennial “Presentation of the Contemporary Portrait” in Radom (1981). His work is considered one of the most original in postwar Polish painting. Drawing on the traditions of early art, Sobocki depicted the complex, existential condition of humanity in the context of contemporary social and political issues. The artist’s work is associated with the New Figuration movement, which emerged from a realistic style infused with biographical elements and a strongly critical stance.