Through subjects such as glasshouse plantations, still lives and paintings of lively cafés and social scenes, Ewa translates raw energy into art and portrays the world around us in all its gusto and beauty.
Ewa Senczawa, a Polish artist with a gift for capturing nature's essence, honed her unique realist style at Krakow's Art's Academy. Her remarkable talent transformed subjects like gardens, landscapes, and natural scenes into awe-inspiring works of art. Ewa's evocative paintings, created using diverse mediums, have garnered widespread acclaim and continue to captivate audiences with their rare refinement and profound connection to the beauty of the natural world.
Born in a Polish village near Zamocz in the mid-1960s, Senczawa displayed a talent for drawing during her formative years. She later gained admission to the prestigious Art's Academy in Krakow, where she developed her distinctive style in realist painting. Despite the cold and strict academic environment, Ewa sought solace and inspiration in the warm greenhouses of the nearby botanic garden, unlike her peers who endured the chilly studios due to limited coal deliveries during the communist era.
Upon her graduation, Ignacy Trybowski, the director of Palac Sztuki, Krakow's renowned art museum, was astounded by Ewa's paintings and offered her a personal exhibition. The show proved to be a resounding success, attracting thousands of visitors. Subsequent exhibitions at the Judaica Foundation in Kazimierz further solidified her public appeal, drawing over ten thousand visitors. Prior to these achievements, Ewa left Poland as communism waned and embarked on a journey across Europe, showcasing her work in countries such as Greece, Switzerland, Turkey, Spain, Italy and France.
Ewa's artwork predominantly explores gardens, nature, cafés, private interiors and portraits. These are generally rendered in a realistic style using oil, tempera, gouache, ink, and dry pastel on various surfaces like linen, hardboard, and paper. She found kindred spirits in esteemed artists such as Avigdor Arikha, Frank Auerbach, Lucian Freud, Robert Guinan, R.B. Kitaj, Alice Neel, Elizabeth Peyton, and Sam Szafran. Ewa departed Poland during a time of fervent debates in Europe about contemporary art, yet she remained steadfast in her romantic journey and distinctive style. Her work transcends subjective preferences, offering rare refinements that distinguish true artistic magnificence from mediocrity.