Jerzy Panek, Self-Portrait in a White Hat III (Self-Portrait in a White Hat II)

Jerzy Panek created 'Self-Portrait in a White Hat III' in 1960 using the woodcut technique. He made the print on white tissue paper. The expression of Panek's woodcut works is based on simplicity, austerity and purity of form, drawn with an economical line, supplemented by textural planes. Some of his compositions are shaped solely by the line, creating a synthetic abbreviation. In the woodcut technique, the artist completely departed from the strong tradition of the pre-war 'Ritual', creating individual, bold solutions. The subject matter of Panek's works stems from a keen observation of the immediate world - people and animals, focusing on portraits of characteristic figures, such as shepherds and madmen, and images of animals - goats, dogs and horses. The artist often returned to certain motifs, combining them into cycles, as exemplified by the numerous self-portraits, such as the cycle Self-Portrait in a White Hat I-VI, which conceal the artist's dual, complex personality behind an ironic and caricatured cover.