Film Details

Painter Julian Stanczak (1928-2017), who taught at the Cleveland Institute of Art for over three decades, was a pioneering abstract artist whose 1964 exhibition “Optical Paintings” at NYC’s Martha Jackson Gallery prompted Time magazine to coin the term “Op Art.” Born in Poland shortly before WWII, Stanczak lived an eventful, peripatetic life that saw him relocating from Poland to Siberia, Iran, Uganda, and the UK before finally settling in the U.S. in 1950. While in a Soviet gulag, he lost the use of his right arm, forcing him to learn to paint (and do everything else) with his left one. This new Polish documentary, eight years in the making, draws upon archival photographs and film clips, and previously unseen interviews with the artist, to recount Stanczak’s remarkable life and his triumph over adversity. The movie also shows Stanczak at work and explores his fascination with color. Filmmaker Tomasz Magierski and Stanczak’s widow, Barbara (a prominent sculptor who also taught at CIA for over 30 years), will answer audience questions after the screening. World premiere! Subtitles. DCP. 60 min