Hugon Lasecki (b. 1932 Grudziądz), Epitaph for Gdansk, 1982/1983

oil, canvas, 100 x 110 cm, signed p.d.: 'H. Lasecki'



Painter, illustrator, educator and poet. Studied at the Faculty of Painting at the State Higher School of Fine Arts in Gdansk; received his diploma in 1962 in the studio of Professor Stanislaw Borysowski. He worked at the Gdansk academy from 1963 to 2003, and received the title of professor in 1994. Since 1986 he has led the graduating Painting Studio. He is the grandfather of director, screenwriter and satirist and stand-up artist Abelard Giza. He made his debut as an artist in the late 1950s, very early defining the direction of his painterly pursuits - in his early works, depicting dreamlike small towns, a nostalgic aura is clearly visible. The primary means of expression for him at the time was rich colors, combined with delicate drawing to bring out figures from dark backgrounds. In his later works, the drawing was no longer so unambiguous and the scenes clear. A dynamic line appeared, inspired by rock inscriptions, creating a generalized, ambiguous image of silhouettes and objects. In 1989 he was awarded the Award of the President of the City of Gdansk for lifetime achievement, In 2003 he was awarded the Pomeranian Art Prize, in 2009 the medal of Merit to Culture - Gloria Artis, in 2022 the gold medal of Merit to Culture - Gloria Artis. He has published three volumes of poetry (2002, 2004, 2006). His paintings and drawings can be found in the National Museum in Gdansk, Poznan and Szczecin, the Silesian Museum in Katowice, the Museum of Central Pomerania in Slupsk, the Municipal Office in Gdansk, private collections, among others.