Thanks to an initiative from the Civic Budget, Zdzisław Beksiński has lived to see his mural. The work was created at the Służew metro station and commemorates one of the most famous Polish painters. This project, realised by Bartosz Podlewski, is part of a larger series of ‘Ursynów murals’ that decorate various locations in the district.
The mural depicting Zdzisław Beksiński was painted on the western wall of the lift shaft that leads to the Służew metro station. Thanks to a special anti-graffiti coating, the artwork is protected against vandalism. The author of the project, Bartosz Podlewski, has many other well-known murals to his credit, including: “The Bear and the Butterfly”, “Stanislaw the Guardian Angel”, “Alternatives 4”, “Deyna” and “Sleeping Mermaid”. The place where the mural was created is not accidental. Beksiński lived for many years in a block of flats at 6 Sonata Street, just a few steps from the metro station. The painter, known mainly for his surreal and dark paintings, also had his roots in the automotive industry – for a dozen years or so he worked at the Sanok Bus Factory ‘Autosan’, where he designed vehicle bodies.
Zdzisław Beksiński, photo by Piotr Dmochowski, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The mural, which adorns Służew station, measures 226 x 750 cm and contains one of Beksiński’s most famous sentences: “I want to paint as if I were photographing dreams”. Made in low poly style (characterised by the use of a small number of polygons to create a three-dimensional model), it fits in with modern artistic trends while paying homage to Beksiński’s classic works. The mural at Służew station is another element of the artistic mosaic of the Warsaw metro. At Ursynów station you can admire a mural with the characters from “The Forty-Year-Old”, at Imielin station – pedagogue Maria Grzegorzewska and the district’s patron Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz, and at Stokłosy station – rotmistrz Witold Pilecki and cryptologists: Marian Rejewski, Jerzy Różycki and Henryk Zygalski.
Zdzisław Beksiński was born on 24 February 1929 in Sanok. After studying architecture at the Cracow University of Technology, he returned to his hometown, where he began his artistic career. In the 1970s, he moved to Warsaw to continue his work, gaining an international reputation. His paintings were exhibited in prestigious galleries around the world. Beksinski died tragically on 21 February 2005, murdered in his own flat in Warsaw’s Mokotow district. According to his will, the Historical Museum in Sanok became the sole heir of his work, taking over several thousand works by the artist.
The mural at the Służew metro station is thus not only a tribute to the great artist, but also a reminder of his connection to Warsaw and Ursynów. Thanks to such initiatives, the memory of Beksinski remains alive and his art continues to inspire and delight successive generations.
Source: WarsawCity Hall
