Dimensions: 117 x 270 cm
signed and dated lower right: 'L. Holesz | 1979'
Biography
A Polish amateur painter best known for his depictions of the Karbón region. From childhood, he was interested in art, inspired by family traditions—his grandfather was a woodcarver, and his father was a carpenter. Due to financial hardship, he began working at an early age. During World War II, he was deported to Germany for forced labor and later conscripted into the army. After the war, he settled in Świerklany Dolne, where he worked for many years as a carpenter, including at the “Moszczenica” coal mine.
After completing the construction of his own house, he returned to painting. Initially, he created works on unconventional materials; over time, he became interested in plant impressions in coal, which led him to develop a distinctive thematic focus on the prehistoric Carboniferous world. Later, cosmic motifs also appeared in his work. At the same time, he sculpted in coal, wood, and graphite.
His talent was discovered in 1966, and his first exhibition at the Rybnik Earth Theater brought him fame. Holesz exhibited in Poland and abroad, and his works found their way into collections such as that of Queen Elizabeth II. In the 1980s, he opened the Holesz Family Art Gallery in his home. His works are now held in museums and private collections.
