Theory of Seeing

Wladyslaw Strzeminski, Daniel Muzyczuk

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English

University of Minnesota Press
01 July 2025

The Arts: General & Reference; History of Art & Design Styles; Philosophy: aesthetics

The first English translation of a radical and influential theory of art by a leader of Poland's avant-garde

After World War II, socialist realism became the official state doctrine of art in Poland, with abstract works deemed counterrevolutionary and forbidden from public view. Wadysaw Strzemiski, a leader of the Polish constructivist avant-garde, developed a treatise of visual consciousness as a foundation for progressive art, emphasizing art's autonomy. His application of Marxist aesthetics to the physiology of seeing is expressed in Theory of Seeing, which was published posthumously in 1958 by his students from notes collected from his lectures.

Preceding the comparable perspectives developed by Jacques Ranciere, David Hockney, and John Berger, and even the cinema of Jean-Luc Godard, Strzemiski's Theory of Seeing introduces the radical and groundbreaking ideas of one of Poland's most important artists to English-speaking audiences for the first time.

By: Wladyslaw Strzeminski
Foreword by: Daniel Muzyczuk
Imprint: University of Minnesota Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 254mm, Width: 178mm, Spine: 25mm
Weight: 454g
ISBN: 9781517920814
ISBN 10: 1517920817
Pages: 312
Publication Date: 01 July 2025
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Wadysaw Strzemiski (18931952) was a prominent artist and theorist of Polish modernism. He collaborated with Rodchenko and Malevich, and, with the avant-garde sculptor Katarzyna Kobro, he cofounded the a.r. group, dedicated to advancing modern art. Their efforts led to the establishment of the International Collection of Modern Art at the Muzeum Sztuki in d, Poland, one of the world's first modern art museums. Strzemiski also contributed significantly to art education as a cofounder of the State Higher School of Fine Arts in d. Daniel Muzyczuk is interim director of Muzeum Sztuki in d, Poland.