Research
Artistic and Research Themes
The Faculty of Fine Arts conducts four priority projects within the framework of scientific and artistic activity in the discipline of fine arts and conservation of works of art.
1. Artistic Investigations Into Formal Means, Expression, and Semantic Relationships Within Works of Art, Examined Through Their Cultural and Social Impact and Their Interrelations With Other Fields of Knowledge
Professor Tadeusz Boruta, Project Manager
Scientific and artistic research within the Department of Painting centres on the enduring questions of art, and of painting in particular, rooted in the intrinsic human need for self‑expression through visual form. The research addresses, among other concerns, the search for painterly means capable of articulating the existential experience of contemporary individuals, as well as the transformations shaping the socio‑political and cultural realities of the twenty‑first century.
A crucial component of this work involves the analysis of signs, symbols, and cultural codes present within visual culture, and their purposeful deployment in painting to create new semantic relationships or to reinterpret those already embedded in cultural tradition. Another significant research direction concerns the creation of monumental works, such as large‑scale paintings, in public space. These works are developed in dialogue with both contemporary and historical architecture, urban layouts, design practices and the broader spatial environment.
2. Graphic Space as a Domain of Unrestricted Creative Expression
Associate Professor Joanna Janowska Augustyn, Project Manager
This research theme offers academic staff of the Department of Printmaking and Art Theory, as well as doctoral candidates, the opportunity to realise graphic works across a wide spectrum of techniques. The notion of an unrestricted creative space is regarded as essential to the exercise of artistic freedom. The process of developing a graphic image, including the selection of subject matter and the choice between traditional techniques such as intaglio, planographic and relief printing, or contemporary approaches such as digital printing, object-based works and graphic installations, constitutes an individual mode of artistic expression and forms the point of departure for the creation of new works.
3. Studies on Graphic and Multimedia Imaging in Public Space
Associate Professor Wiesław Grzegorczyk, Project Manager
This project investigates the complex relationships between art, design, and the public spaces in which people live and interact. Its central research areas include visual identity, editorial design, illustration, data visualisation (infographics), artistic printmaking, and typography, with particular emphasis on their informed selection and skilful application during the creative stages of comprehensive design processes.
Special attention is given to the choice of methodological approaches most appropriate to the project’s objectives. In the field of multimedia, unconventional workshop-based strategies play an essential role. The integration of artistic disciplines with innovative technological solutions, particularly those associated with new media, together with the study of interdisciplinary connections within the visual arts, represents the principal direction of the faculty’s academic and creative activity.
4. The Function and Significance of Visual Means of Expression in the Design and Formation of Artistic Works
Associate Professor Dorota Sankowska, Project Manager
Creative work within this research theme encompasses a broad range of issues related to contemporary art, particularly within the field of visual arts. The research focuses on the detailed components of artistic matter across painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, and new media. The outcomes are evident both in the individual artistic practices of the academic staff and in their scholarly and critical publications and reviews. These include analyses of artistic methodologies, examinations of stylistic conventions, studies of visual narratives, and reflections on the conceptual frameworks underpinning contemporary visual production.
The theme is explored through a wide variety of techniques drawn from multiple artistic disciplines, including drawing, painting, sculpture, and digital methods. The results of these investigations are presented in national and international exhibitions, in numerous competitions, and displayed in both individual and collective formats, engaging with diverse curatorial strategies and modes of artistic presentation.