6 Anna Wypych

August 24, 2020

6 Anna Wypych

"My art is like me, like the overexcited person who always has to do more than is needed, and is moody, easily."

"I am a nice person, I try to be good. I am aware that I will not change the world, it will be still full of bad thoughts and deeds. But I can add my small drop of positivity – my art, my paintings. I am sharing something positive because maybe someone else needs it."

Anna Wypych is an amazing figurative painter from Gdynia, Poland. As she says on her website, "I am an artist, mom, wife, and human. I live on the coast of the beautiful Baltic sea, and my art traditions are like Poland, located somewhere between traditional eastern Europe and the more modern west." Anna paints in oils, often writing text to accompany each piece. She's exhibited around the world, and has won a Purchase Award from the Art Renewal Center (ARC) which has titled her a living master. She's also a member of the Int. Guild of Realism, and the Poets & Artists' Association. She won first place at the Journey of Hestia competition. She's also won countless grants and scholarships. Anna was an artist in residence in Passau, Germany. She's been featured in magazines such as American Art Collector, Fine Art Connoisseur, Poets & Artists, Klassik, and others. Her work has been collected by the National Museum of Gdansk, Poland, the European Museum of Modern Art in Barcelona, Spain, the Bennett Collection, and many other prestigious collections.

'The Vestals – protectors of inner fire'

Anna graduated from the Academy of Arts in Gdansk, Poland, where she studied under Maciej Swieszewski. After, she started her career as a painter. She tells HashTagArtMag:

"After graduating from the Academy of Fine Arts, I took my first steps in the art market. Like everyone, I got to a difficult point after a while and struggled with doubts and difficulties. Then, instead of choosing the easier path, I decided to put everything on one card and I did my best. I tried not to think too much about what might go wrong and focused on painting the best work I could."

'Self-Portrait with a Tattoo'

"It was my self-portrait with the tattoo. In a way it was my statement and decision about the future. I submitted the painting to "Figurativas", one of the biggest figurative realism competitions in Europe. I did not win anything then, but the director of MEAM saw something in my work. Jose Manuel Infiesta decided to include my self-portrait in the permanent collection of this prestigious museum. Later I found out that mine was one of the first artworks bought by this museum. Almost at the same time, the same painting caught the eye of Michelle Ward, owner of Principle gallery. She invited me to collaborate, and that was my first serious step toward showing in the USA. This one painting - one decision - brought me to the right path, which I have followed right up to this moment."

Anna talks about her art on her website, "My art is a mixture of formal, romantic art with a hard working traditional attitude, but my realist style is extended by elements of hyper-realism, surrealism and pure imagination. My art is like me, like the overexcited person who always has to do more than is needed, and is moody, easily."

"My paintings tell stories about feelings and thoughts. I concentrate on the human condition. This is what fascinates me, and is the main focus of all my art activity. I believe in people, that we are good, strong and wise. But, what hypnotizes me the most is inner power, strength of character, that elusive factor which makes a difference. This is what lets opponents win, who are weaker in every other aspect. Fierceness, obstinacy, persistence this is somewhere between those features."

'No'

"I love to seek thoughts that appear in us, somewhere on the edge of a consciousness. These thoughts truly shape us. Somewhere in all this, I reflect on the essence of a man, and I seek in him, in us, the most important internal force, the one that determines the character that shapes our mind. The intrinsic, inner power, will never cease to fascinate me. It is like as if the universe is contained in the eyes – where, by the way, I always have to start working on a painting."

"I am a painter, artist, woman, mother, wife, human, precisely in that order. I like to taste the life, like that – slowly – deliberately. I like to philosophize, and it results in my paintings – projects. Each of them is a separate thought, a feeling. That’s why I often expand them with a kind of complement – short texts about inspirations and poems. And, that’s why they often are queuing up, and one thought continues in the next painting. One feeling leads us to another."

'Hormones'

"I like freedom. I like my legitimate liberty, I do not like following, and I hate submissiveness. I am very imperfect, but it is precision and perfection I am looking for in my paintings. I am looking for what is the best in us - perfect non-perfection, fire in the eyes and character, like a diamond – this is how you can describe women in my paintings. And, what I always want to say, with all my energy is – let’s be better."

Anna says in HashTagArtMag (2020), "I am a romantic thinker. At some point I decided to stay naive to no matter what is happening in the world. I try to behave and being good is a better option and will win at the end. My art is a result of this thinking. I keep my sad thoughts for myself and share only those that could bring the viewer hope, satisfaction and help grow inner power in people."

'Lady of Time'

Anna talks about her process (HashTagArtMag, 2020):

"The creative process is a little different each time because every one of my paintings is about something different. I just am bored very easily, and do not like to repeat myself. This is very funny that I think like that because at the same time I can spend several hours painting one tiny eye (1 inch square), or work the whole day at skin details on part of a hand. I guess I need new goals and challenges to work. That is why I adjust my creative process, inspiration and every step of technical work to the idea - which is different each time."

'Leaving Toxic Habits'

Anna talks about art trends (HashTagArtMag, 2020):

"I am not a person who somehow follows trends - I change too frequently. I do my own thing, I create what I like and feel and I don't care if the painting fits into something or not. I have always followed my intuition and so far this way I do the best art. For me, it doesn't work when I try to follow."

Anna says in her artist's statement, "I also like to use modern tools, and am active in social media, because of the internet I feel like a citizen of the world."