JERZYMOSCICKI,WINNEROFTHERICHESONPASTEL
BRONZEAWARD,sayshispainterlylifeislivedwithin
a “theateroflights.”Indeed,heseesLumièreIntérieure—
whichtranslatesto“innerlight”—asa paintingmore
aboutthelightitselfthantheobjectsit features.
Thesettingis Moscicki’sfarmhouseintheFrench
countryside,wherehehaslivedsince2016.“WhenI saw
thelightfallupontheoldcarpetinthefoyer,”theartist
says,“Iimmediatelyunderstoodthatthislightwouldbe
mysubject.Therestofthepaintingwasjusthardwork
andpatiencetorealizetheemotionI feltinthatmoment.”
Landscape&InteriorCategoryJurorW.Truman
HosnersaysofLumièreIntérieure, “Ithoughtthattheartist
expressed,ina mostexceptionalmanner,themoodand
nostalgiaprovokedbylightcominginthrougha window.
I couldfeeltheroom.”TheBeautyoftheForms
Moscickihasfilledhischarminghomewithfurnishings
ofthosewhoinhabitedit beforehim—antiquesand
treasuresthatsparkmemoriesoftheparsonagewherehe
spenthischildhood—inthesmallPolishvillageofLower
Silesia.Hisfamilylivedinthepriest’shousenearthevil-
lagechurch,andMoscickiplayedanddaydreamedinthe
nooksandcranniesoftheoldhome.Therichnessofthe
parsonage’sdecor—thepaintings,furnitureandfres-
coes—hasstronglyinfluencedMoscicki’saestheticand
imagination;hefrequentlyfindshimselfreturning
totheseoriginsinhiswork.Theparsonage,hesays,is
“aninexhaustiblesourceofinspiration.”LumièreIntérieure
(27½x 19¾)APATCHOFSUNLIGHTILLUMINATESTHEINTRICATELY
PATTERNEDRUGINANOTHERWISEDARKENEDROOM
INJERZYMOSCICKI’SAWARD-WINNINGINTERIOR.BYREBECCADVORAKTheater
of Lights
RICHESON PASTEL BRONZE AWARD
In his current studio, he stores many objects that
hearken back to these early memories and that he might
feature in his still lifes: baskets, glasses, porcelain, candle-
sticks, books, pewter dishes, fabrics. They offer a “variety
of shapes, styles, materials and textures on which I draw
when the time comes,” Moscicki says. “For me, only one
criterion counts: the beauty of the forms.”
Fabrics, like the rug featured in Lumière Intérieure, have
played an important role in Moscicki’s works. “They make
it possible to fill the surface and bring the softness, color
and warmth to the composition,” he says. “I’ve always
liked the textures of fabrics and the possibilities offered
in the narratives of their designs.”The Influence of Light
Moscicki’s family moved to Wroclaw, in western Poland,
in 1966. It was there, while in elementary school, that he
began to show his affinity for drawing. He was encouraged
to continue his studies at the National Lycee of Plastic
Arts, in 1970, where he trained to be a theater designer.
In this capacity at the Wroclaw Puppet Theater, Moscicki
began to understand the influence of light, particularly on
objects or forms on the stage. “It was there that I was able to“For me, only one criterion
counts: the beauty of the forms.”
48 Pastel Journal APRIL 2020