Supervisor in the Doctoral School

In 1988–1991 he studied artistic education at the branch of The Adam Mickiewicz University of Poznan in Kalisz

In 1991–1996 he studied at The Academy of Art and Design in Wroclaw, Faculty of Painting and Sculpture.

Graduated with distinction in 1996 in easel painting in the Prof. Andrzej Klimczak-Dobrzaniecki’s studio.

1996-2018 - an assistant professor in Prof. Klimczak-Dobrzaniecki’s studio in Wroclaw and the head of the Painting Studio at the Institute of Visual Arts at the University of Zielona Gora.

Professor of the VI-th painting studio

Artistic work

- over 30 solo shows in Poland and abroad),

- over 60 group shows international and domestic exhibitions),

- his works are in private collections in Poland, Germany, France, USA,

- laureate of 8 awards and honorary mentions.

„A painting is a space for human imagination’s various places, nooks and corners. But what would our imagination be without inspiration coming from the reality of things; what would the seeing be, if our world was deprived of objects to be viewed? The answer is quite easy: it would be all this what we wish to or actually see in Norman Smużniak’s painting.

If the hell (or heaven) of his own emotions the artist managed to materialize in the form of pictures of various sizes, still we know these are only pieces, parts of his creative universe. In painting Norman Smużniak follows the way which is not based on geographic coordinate system of up-to-date trends in art. It is not an organized itinerary. It is a simultaneous motion in many direction.

Eventually, Norman Smużniak’s artistic work is like touching a swirling cloud of sensations with his paintings’ surfaces; the cloud has no privileged direction, or any way of comprehension or feeling. And any cloud likewise, it reveals a simple truth: heaven (or hell) seen from the inside has no „up” or „down”, „top” or „bottom”. It seems occasionally, though we don’t know this, that Norman misses this bottom. The way we miss the right fulcrum.”

Jarosław Łukasik, Poznań 2011

Achievements

1. 2011 – „Parfum” ; Galeria Sztuki w Legnicy ;20/04-1/05/2011
2. 2011 – „Wunderwelt. Genotype et mutations”; Galerie Pokusa; Wiesbaden; Niemcy; 20/05-09/07/2011
3. 2010 – „Wrocław nie do Poznania”, 9.11 – 30.11 Słodownia +1, +2 , Stary Browar, Poznań;
4. 2010 – XXVI Wystawa Plastyki Zagłębia Miedziowego, 02.12.2010 – 02.01.2011, Galeria Sztuki w Legnicy;
5. 2011 – „Co tu jest/czego tu nie ma”; 17/12/2011-12/02/2011; Malarstwo, instalacje i obiekty artystów z Wrocławia; Galeria Regionalna; Liberec, Czechy;

Language of consultations

Polish, English, French

Characteristic of the projects and research in which the PhD student is to be subsumed

The most important thing is the color, his meaning, creative possibilities, way of using and understanding what the color is and how we can use the color in any kind of creation.

Forms of the research can be different. What we call the classical way, for example oil resin technique, acrylic technique, mix of the prints with painting, video projections on the color surface, installations.

But in the case of installations the most important thing is the pictural interaction than the order of the objects in itself. Just the order of the objects as for me gives nothing. Only understanding and using the different meaning of the color ant space can give to the spectators pretty sensual kind of perception.

In the classical painting (oil resin, acrylic, ink, any kind of prints and painting) most important is the expression, interaction, creation of the new meanings on the base of the forms, mayby symbols, perhaps creation of the plans in the pictures. It should be like a kind of sensual trip.

The most important for me is the first idea, development, creative way of research.

I’m open as a promotor to any form of the creative activity.

Characteristic of didactic cooperation between the supervisor and the PhD student

In the didactic cooperation I’m expecting creativity, join the critics, some chosen by me subjects of the didactic process without repeating duties of my assistant. I’m also expecting large activity with the students on the basic and some of higher level. Every kind of cooperation should be planned every month. That’s the best way to cooperate well and give the possibility of checking of the didactic talent of the PhD student. PhD student should give to the studio some kind of fresh air, fresh view on some of the aspects how to learn painting. It should be real cooperation, not the collision of the same or the different worlds.