Birch Tree (Tree Trunks)

Zdzislaw Ruszkowski (1907-1991)was born in Tomaszow , Poland and as he grew up his father , also a painter , would take him on painting expeditions. His main influences as he developed as an artist, were Van Gogh, Cezanne, Bonnard, Monet, and the old masters Titian and Rembrandt. He very much painted as he thought right and ignored contemporary art,” labeled "modern". In 1935 Ruszkowski went to live in Paris, where he was greatly influenced by the work of Cezanne and the beauty of the countryside around Aix-en-Provence in the south of France; this is reflected in the paintings of this period. In 1939 he stayed in Versailles but the threat of imminent war and chaos in Europe depressed him and affected his enthusiasm to paint. In 1940 he escaped from France to England, where he served with the Polish army based in Scotland until 1944. Ruszkowski's preoccupation with light in painting assumed a major role in his work between 1955-62, and large areas of shadow, often black, are used to achieve greater contrast in the lit parts of the painting. Light now plays a constructional role in his paintings, having an almost material quality, and passages from shadow to light have definite shape and colour.