A mural will be created in honor of Richard Manna. It will be unveiled on August 17th.
The artist's face will be depicted in the form of a crumbling mosaic, which is intended to allude to his work and the illness he struggled with. Photo: Private
On Monday, August 11, work will begin on a mural dedicated to Ryszard Mann, a renowned artist associated with the city, in Stargard's Old Town, on Grodzka Street.
The official unveiling of the work is scheduled for Sunday, August 17, at 6:00 PM at 3 Grodzka Street.
"This project is a tribute to Ryszard Manna and his unique style," says Maciej Dura-Pomarański, spokesman for the Stargard Cultural Center. "The mural will depict half of the artist's face, referencing his distinctive image associated with the illness that made residents remember him as a unique and recognizable figure."
Ryszard Manna, a representative of the artistic community of the so-called Gdańsk landing, was born in 1933. He came to Stargard right after the war, in 1945. He studied at the State School of Fine Arts in Gdańsk in the studio of Professor Juliusz Studnicki – one of the most outstanding Polish painters of the 20th century.
He worked in mural and easel painting, drawing, and graphic art, as well as interior design, publishing, and applied art. His work has been exhibited both in Poland and abroad. Manna was a significant figure in the cultural life of Stargard, one of the pioneers of the local art scene. His works are now held at the Stargard Museum of Archaeology and History, as well as in private collections in Poland, Great Britain, and France. He died in 1997 and was buried in the Stargard cemetery.
The mural was created by Maciej "Kreda" Jurkiewicz, a Szczecin-based artist known for his numerous projects in Szczecin's urban spaces. A graduate of the Faculty of Architecture at the Szczecin University of Technology, Jurkiewicz specializes in murals with a strong visual and symbolic message. He will use eco-friendly anti-smog paints to create the work, which help neutralize nitrogen oxides and other air pollutants.
The mural itself will be painted in a muted, gray color scheme, lending it a melancholic yet timeless feel. Instead of a traditional portrait, the artist's face will be depicted in the form of a crumbling mosaic—a modern touch that not only captures the spirit of Manna's work (he often uses mosaic techniques) but also symbolically depicts his artistic struggles and creative process.
"Thanks to Wojtek Makowski's support, the project was brought to the Stargard Rotary Club, whose members unanimously recognized the idea as exceptional," Pomarański emphasizes. "It is thanks to their involvement that the first mural commemorating a local artist is being created in Stargard."
The space for the painting was provided by Wiesław Jurczyk, owner of the Grodzki Hotel and SPA, and a person who knew Ryszard Manna personally.
Work on the mural will take several days.
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Kurier Szczecinski
