Oświęcim Triptych

Edward Kołacz (1909-1991), who worked as a shoemaker from fourteen, moved with his family to Szczecin after the war, where he continued his professional work. After a serious illness in 1961, he sculpted, something he had dreamt of since childhood. In his work as a sculptor he was mainly interested in two subjects: older people and motherhood. He used characteristic pieces of wood, acquired during his many walks in the forest. He became a master of patinating and darkening sculptures. He has won numerous awards in national folk sculpture competitions and regional distinctions. ‘Auschwitz Triptych’ is a complicated sculpture to read, touching on painful events in Polish history. It is made of a round block of wood, barked and textured with a chisel cut in half, and one of the halves was cut in half again. Using this division, he created a triptych with five decorative fields, connected by metal hinges. The central part is occupied by the crematorium furnace with entwined, twisted bodies, on either side of which SS men stand quietly. The inner parts of the side wings are occupied by naked figures of men walking towards the crematorium on one side, women and children on the other. The outer parts of the side wings depict the family's meal and the harvest. These scenes very suggestively show the paradox of war: alongside tragedy and death, ordinary life goes on. The strong, personal composition works through a dramatic narrative reinforced by the colours used. ‘Auschwitz Triptych’ touches upon the artist's personal experiences, referring to the concentration camp experiences of the artist's closest family members.

Iwona Karwowska