Tellez, Giovanni

February 10th, 2020

Ms. Gomez

Global Seminar

Global Citizen Essay

The qualities of a Global Citizen are ubiquitous and sharp to the point in which their

actions can actually impact. Their actions can in various forms: non-violent activism, spreading

awareness, social reformation, artistic expression, and educational endeavors. Of course there are

more ways one can be a Global Citizen, but the quantity of individuals who have reached this

zenith are very few and far between, though some that are influenced bring about the

establishment and solidification in stature of those they influence. They not only comprehend

that the individual and collective are capable of achieving a common understanding, but they

also share the ideals and that have molded them. And in doing so, will cultivate a greater

relationship and lay a foundation for their progeny to reach even greater heights.

The Global Citizen that I chose to display is Zdzisław Beksiński, a Polish artist born on

February 24th, 1929. An artist that was influenced by the atrocities and malice of the world, yet

despite his trauma and heavily influenced imagination, found motivation to create artworks that

reflected a hidden collective mental state of the Polish people. Bringing a global admiration and

exposure to Polish art and a heightened empathy for the victims of the sinister acts of the Soviet

Union and its associates.

With the added byproduct of influencing the future generations of Polish artists that

would channel and imitate the precedent that Beksinski would leave behind. A residual shadow
that doesn't overwelcome its stay, instead it allows for a generation of younger artists to find

some form of meaning through his artworks. And to find that their meaning, though differing,

will bring about the same response from future generations. That, through Beksinski’s artwork, a

memory lives on that otherwise wouldn’t have if it was in any other form.

The subjective perspective of the viewer can constrain or heighten the artistic expression

of artists in general, but Beksinski with the subject matter, manages to capture an aura of

objectivity, not only for the situation but for the feeling of encapsulated horror. Cementing

himself and carving out a niche that shows true horror and malice of the occupation that he

experienced.

Through a medium that constrains that concept of time; Beksinski not only exposes but

illustrates visually, the masochistic/hedonistic tendencies of the masses to sensationalize the

brutality of war. Beksinski paints landscapes and large monoliths that depict creatures that

resemble those of nightmares. A surrealist artist that takes what he has seen and puts it on paper.

There are no other artists like him and those who have emulated him don’t reach the same level.

Mainly because he was a product of his environment. A product because the war caused so much

havoc and wreckage that in there; in the mind of the growing artist; an atrocity cultivated an

understanding and sparked a yearning for expression. The mannerisms and existence of

Baksinski is an affirmation that the growth of artist expression and cultivating in spite of trauma

is true. Challenging the widely regarded question, ‘is sorrow truly the most powerful tool for

creating art?’ a challenged ideal. Now we can question and portray the nature of reality by

challenging the foundations by means of criticism.