Beksiński isn’t my only favorite painter from Poland. Jacek Yerka has a different style, but his work is also nice and surreal.

I have a book called “The Fantastic Art of Jacek Yerka.” It’s a nice collection of 21 of his paintings with commentary. From the book:

In the early 1970s, after my struggle with technique and lack of skills, I took off on my uninterrupted cycle of retrospections, dreams, and imaginings. I systematically painted everything of import to me from my early childhood. Some of these paintings have been ready in my head for many years. I knew exactly which one would follow next.

I hold on to one very key principle. Whatever has not been in my own head cannot be allowed to come into my paintings. For me this is a kind of honesty and genuineness I feel I must attach to my work.

Unfortunately, the book seems to be out of print as of this writing. But fortunately, examples of his work are easy to find on the Internet. The artist’s official site includes an extensive gallery.

If I had to choose a single favorite painter, it would probably be Polish artist Zdzislaw Beksinski. He once said, “I wish to paint in such a manner as if I were photographing dreams.”

You can see more of his work at these sites:

• Dark Art
• Iluminatornia Gnosis

There’s also a book of his art available. The book includes a decent selection at a good price, and I like its quotations from Beksinski, but I’d like a more comprehensive book of his work.