Autobiographism in Early Graphics by Teresa Jakubowska

Abstract

This article is devoted to the graphic artist Teresa Jakubowska and the first period of her artistic work. It focuses on the works, which are a reflection of the artist’s
private life. The artist herself compares her work to a diary containing a record of life’s experiences, thoughts and feelings. The subjects and problems addressed by the artist, the way they were illustrated and formal solutions used have no analogy in the Polish graphic art of that time. Therefore, these works deserve a broader discussion in the context of autobiographism in women’s art and further in literature and arts. Jakubowska’s linocuts and woodcuts are analyzed for use of autobiography practices, the areas of these practices are identified and the ways these practices were carried out are then presented. Furthermore, this article highlights Teresa Jakubowska’s innovative methods of recognising and transmitting the content, as well as her in transigent works in the context of the Polish graphic art after 1945.