Woodcarving works on religious themes made in the circle of the Cyprian Kamil Norwid State Secondary School of Fine Arts in Lublin

Abstract

Since the 1990s, more than 50 different religious works, ranging from altars to single sculptures, have been created at the current Fine Arts School Group in Lublin. Some of these objects went to places of worship or religious institutions, while others remain the property of the school or their authors. This extensive collection is the result of a dual educational concept developed at the school. On the one hand, it is based on studying (copying, compiling) historical patterns; on the other, it offers freedom of artistic vision. In both cases the students follow the guidance of the same teachers, who introduce these concepts interchangeably, deliberately varying the tasks. Treated complementarily, they give interesting results both in the course of education and in the graduates’ independent work. The selection of works presented in this article does not aspire to be an exhaustive presentation of the presence of the sacred in woodcarving works created in the circle of the Lublin School. Nevertheless, their selection illustrates in a suggestive manner artistic solutions representative for each of the two educational currents.