There are a few artists in the horror community whose work keeps popping up. Obviously, we all know of H.R. Giger and his work with the Alien series. Many of us are aware of William Blake thanks to his “The Great Red Dragon” series that was featured heavily in Manhunter, “Hannibal”, and Red Dragon. For those who played The 7th Guest, you saw Henry Fuseli’s “The Nightmare” come to life in a rather creepy and murderous way.
It’s no mystery that many horror filmmakers are directly influenced or, at the very least, inspired by history’s artists. For those who delve into the world of the surreal, there are the works of Dali, Picasso, and Ernst, as well as many others. But few of these artists managed to capture evil and terror in the same way that Polish painter Zdzisław Beksiński.
Born in 1929 in the Southern Polish city of Sanok, Beksiński never formally studied or trained in art. Rather, he studied architecture in Krakow and worked as the supervisor of a construction site in the mid-50’s, although he found quickly that he did not enjoy the work. It was during this work that he began working on his photography, sculpting, and painting, often using the materials found at the construction sites as the medium for his own artistic endeavors. The grim and eerie tone that pervades through his work can be seen in these early works.
In 1964, Beksiński’s work was the hit of an art exhibit in Warsaw, where each piece was sold. He devoted himself to painting and art, finding his calling and pursuing it with passion and excitement. Apparently, he loathed the idea of working in silence and would often have classical music playing in the background while he worked. Supposedly he was also a fan of rock music.
His work is incredibly detailed, the twisted and gnarled limbs in one painting evoking pain and discomfort while the vast scale of the buildings in others makes the viewer feel tiny and insignificant. However, Beksiński never saw his work as scary or unsettling. In his eyes, they were to be seen as darkly humorous. Furthermore, he never wanted them to have a deeper meaning, which is why none of his works have a name. He didn’t want to give of the impression that he saw something in them that others didn’t.
In the 90’s, Beksiński went through great tragedies when his wife passed away in 1998. A year later, on Christmas Eve, his son Tomasz committed suicide and Beksiński was the one who found the body. Heartbroken and utterly devastated, he supposedly never came to terms with these events. Then, in 2005, he was found dead with 17 stab wounds in his Warsaw flat. It came to light that he was killed by the teenage son of his caretaker Robert Kupiec and a friend. Kupiec was sentenced to 25 years in prison while his friend received 5 years. The supposed reason for Beksiński’s murder was that he refused to loan Kupiec the equivalent of approximately $100. His last painting, “Y”, was completed the day of his death. It is the last image in the gallery below.
Beksiński’s work has captured the imagination of countless people. While he himself might have been jovial and he thought of his work as humorous, others find it phantasmagoric. He even stated at one point, “I wish to paint in such a manner as if I were photographing dreams.” I feel like he succeeded, only he didn’t capture dreams. He captured nightmares.
