SwissArtGallery · Documented identity
The American painter and printmaker of Polish origin Julian Stanczak (1928–2017) explored the relationships between colour, light and perception in his work. Born in Poland, he reached Uganda as a teenager after being deported and fleeing, then emigrated to the United States in 1950. At Yale, he studied with Josef Albers. According to Lempertz, the diversity of colours and intensity of light he experienced in Africa left a profound mark on the artist and nurtured his enduring interest in colour. The text places him among the early representatives of Op Art, alongside his fellow student Richard Anuszkiewicz.
Over the decades, Stanczak developed this exploration through patterns of stripes, squares and waves, worked in luminous tones. Lempertz distinguishes his approach from that of other representatives of the movement: rather than seeking garish effects or optical provocation, according to this source he sought to make fleeting and subtle impressions perceptible. Sway in warm light, dated 1998, provides a documented example of his work: this composition brings together three acrylic canvases, each measuring 122 × 62 cm, for a total format of 122 × 186 cm. The lot description states that the canvas is signed and dated on the reverse, while the stretcher is also signed and bears the title.
Several publications mark the reception of his work: Serigraphs and Drawings of Julian Stanczak 1970-1972 is listed for 1972; Decades of Light for 1990; Color = Form for 1993; and a retrospective covering 1948–1998 for 1998. These titles attest to the attention given to his screenprints, drawings and exploration of colour. Stanczak lived and worked in Seven Hills, Ohio, with his wife, the sculptor Barbara Stanczak.
This profile brings together identity references for Julian Stanczak and paintings, drawings and works on paper documented in auction catalogues.
Lempertz
References include catalogue entries and available results; they do not all represent completed sales. Attributed works and special lots are excluded from the priced results.
Acrylic on canvas
Sway in warm light
Acryl auf Leinwand
Auction date : 2020-12-08
Published result : 75000 EUR
Including buyer’s premium
Estimate : 60000
View the lot at the auction house ↗SwissArtGallery documentary note based on the cited sources. Titles, media and qualifications are provided in the profile language; the original catalogue wording remains available in each record.
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