Isaiah RZEPA (1904 - 1999), Birdman

wood; 9 x 14 x 5 cm

Born on July 6, 1904 in the village of Zęblewo (formerly Wejherowo district), he lived in Reda, Gdansk province. He was considered one of the most outstanding folk sculptors from Kashubia, and represented the region at folk art exhibitions at home and abroad for more than 40 years.
After graduating from elementary school, he helped his father in the carpenter's workshop, acquiring skills in woodworking there. Already at that time he manifested a passion for woodcarving by decorating furniture with bas-reliefs, also making sculptures for the church in Leba. In 1939, as a soldier, he takes part in the defense of Hel and is taken prisoner, spending the entire war in prisoner-of-war camps in Germany. After the end of the war, he returns to Pomerania and takes a job at the Naval Shipyard in Gdynia. At that time he occasionally takes up sculpting. He devotes himself completely to his passion after retirement. The sculptural output of I. Rzepa is diverse and rich. He was most fond of sculpting birds, fishermen, rural people, but also figures of saints. He repeatedly sculpted the figure of St. Francis of Assisi, because here he could place his favorite ?gures of birds. He made toys and ritual props for children and friends. He often painted his works with contrasting and luscious paints, not always taking care to reproduce natural colors, such as in the plumage of birds. The sculptures of I. Turnips were characterized by a massive, static body, accurate drawing and careful workmanship. As early as 1954, he is noticed as a folk sculptor and participates in the first exhibition "Folk art of Gdansk province" in Gdansk. In 1959, in the competition , "Folk souvenir" (Gdansk), he wins the first prize. The following years bring further success. He is the winner of the first prizes of competitions: "Folk sculpture of northern Poland". - Sopot 1967, "Folk art of the Gdansk area" - Gdansk 1973, "Folk Art of the Gdansk Province" - Gdansk 1976, "Fisherman in folk sculpture" - Gdansk 1980, "Contemporary Folk Art of Kashubia" - Bydgoszcz 1985. In addition, he has won awards in several other regional and national competitions. His works were often exhibited at folk art exhibitions in the country: Gdansk 1954, 1959, 1970, 1972, 1982, Wejherowo 1968, Bydgoszcz 1983, Koszalin 1971, Grudziądz 1973, Slupsk 1979, Tczew 1980, Lublin 1984, Torun 1975, 1976 and abroad: East Germany 1972, Bulgaria 1974, England 1975, Czechoslovakia 1978, Hungary 1979, Finland 1983.
I. Rzepa was honored with many national and regional decorations and awards both for his services in defense of the Fatherland and for his sculpting activities. Among the decorations are: Medal for the defense of Hel, Bronze and Gold Crosses of Merit, Medal of Merit to the Land of Gdańsk, Medal of the 600th anniversary of the City of Hel, Gulgowski Award, Awards of the Governor and the Provincial Department of Culture and Art. He was a member of the STL, was active in regional cultural and educational associations, and cooperated with CPLiA and ART Region in Sopot.
Sculptures by I. Rzepa have museums in Gdansk, Krakow, Warsaw, Lodz, Poznan, Torun and foreign collections. (Oskar Kolberg Award)