"Structure" Painting

Between Reality and Abstraction

Can a painting capture reality while allowing it to escape beyond the boundaries of recognisable form?

Rafał Olszewski’s work unfolds at the intersection of two seemingly distant worlds: the precision of the photographic gaze and the expressive freedom of abstraction. He observes the familiar, only to transform it through colour, composition, texture and the distinctive gestures of painting.

His work brings together portraits of pop culture icons, cars, urban landscapes and botanical motifs. Rooted in the visual language of contemporary life, these subjects are reinterpreted through the artist’s individual sensibility. A recognisable image becomes more than a representation — it may evoke a memory, a fascination, a fleeting moment or an invitation for the viewer to form their own interpretation.

Abstraction forms an equally important part of his practice. Through layered compositions, Olszewski explores colour, formal tension and the possibilities of painterly experimentation. Meaning is not prescribed. Instead, it emerges through the interplay of surfaces, traces of gesture and successive layers, leaving room for personal reflection and individual response.

Working across a diverse range of media — including oil and acrylic, enamel paint, spray paint, watercolour, charcoal and pencil — Olszewski engages in a visual dialogue with artists such as David Hockney and Gerhard Richter. Yet his paintings ultimately grow out of his own experiences, evolving fascinations and an ongoing desire to explore new possibilities.

Born in Kętrzyn, Poland, in 1973, Olszewski graduated from the Fine Arts High School in Olsztyn. In 2000, he received his degree in painting from the Faculty of Fine Arts at Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, where he studied in the studio of Mieczysław Wiśniewski.

His works are held in private collections in Poland and internationally.

Rafał Olszewski’s paintings do not impose a single way of seeing. They invite the viewer to look more closely, discover personal associations and return to an image that may reveal new meanings over time.

His work speaks to those who seek more than visual appeal in art — those drawn to individuality, emotion and the freedom of personal interpretation. It offers something to both established collectors and those looking to bring a distinctive, personal presence into their living or working spaces.