Thomas Pradzynski

Pradzyncki’s poetic urban landscapes of Paris communicate his love for the city, which has captivated not only his imagination but that of the entire world.

Born in Lodz, Poland, in 1951, Pradzynski visited Paris as a young boy when his father was transferred there for business in 1960. An aspiring artist, Pradzynski was drawn to the street painters he encountered. After completing his studies in sociology and economics at the Lycee Francaise in Warsaw and architecture at the Ecole Politecnique, Paris became Pradzynski’s home in 1977.

Pradzynski’s aesthetic is both the natural development of late 20th century painting and a radical return to romantic naturalism. Where artists such as Edward Hopper embraced light and form to isolate the subject and to make subject isolation itself, Pradzynski’s light is softer and more intimate. Pradzynski instead draws us to the moment, to the ideal Paris in every romantic’s mind.

Through the delicate interplay between detail and suggestion, Pradzynski’s technique suggests the tradition of the great French and English genre painters. However, it is his psychological introspection that elevates his imagery from mere reportage to poetry. The emotional substance of his subjects is communicated through suppleness of texture and rich depth in color. Pradzynski’s willing vulnerability is what places him in the ranks of such great artists as Edward Hopper, Maurice Utrillo and Maurice de Vlaminck - and what establishes him as one of the great painters and visual poets of our time.