Adrian Mazurkiewicz

In this project, I wanted to show how Koszalin changed through time, before, during and after 1945. When it transformed from being a German city called Köslin to a Polish one. The aim was to depict how the city changed, especially by focusing on important places such as the train station, the cathedral and the town hall. I decided to create three acrylic paintings, and two sculptures made from air drying clay.

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Each painting shows a different moment. The first one shows the train station in Koslin around 1930. I chose this building because it was destroyed in 1945 by Soviet. The second painting shows 1945, the year when Soviet destroyed majority of the city just for propaganda video, in this painting I focused on cathedral, which is one of the oldest buildings in Koszalin, still standing after the war. It shows destruction and chaos. The third painting is from around 1960, when the city was already Polish. I painted the new town hall (previous was destroyed), to show the process of rebuilding. I also made two sculptures, one depicts an unnamed Polish soldier, and the other shows a soldier returning to his mother after the war. I chose this to show respect and tribute to people who lived there and fight for the future.

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In this project, I focused on atmosphere and impressionism to tell a real story. This term I also wanted to improve my landscape paintings skill and keep developing my own style. This was also a chance for me to learn more about history about my family city and show it through art.