- The exhibition we have organized provides a wide spectrum of Professor’s works, including the less known ones. It starts from portraits and self-portraits, where we can see how Jerzy Mierzejewski used colour, how he depicted people and what details he saw. Then we move to the most known Professor’s paintings- contemplative, frozen in stillness, after-image landscapes, which are a testimony of his faith in power and sublimity of depicting the simplest and closest things – says Anna Kazimierczak, Conservatory Gallery curator.

The exhibition of Jerzy Mierzejewski’s works has been organized as one of the events commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Lodz Film School. Jerzy Mierzejewski, a painter, a graduate of the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts joined the teaching staff of the Lodz Film School in the 1950ties. He was fascinated by new possibilities of correlating various art types. He taught drawing and aspects of fine art in film. Wykładał rysunek oraz zagadnienia plastyki w filmie. In the years 1961-1969 Mierzejewski was the Dean of the Cinematography Department, and in the years 1969-1975 the Dean of Direction Department, and the years 1974-1975, the Vice-Rector. As the Dean of Cinematography introduced a requirement for the direction students to produce a silent student film in order to be promoted to the next year of their studies.

Janusz Zaorski comments on the task as follows – We were expected to express the sense through images. To present everything in such a way that it all made sense, was clear and had some atmosphere. It was one of the most difficult challenges I have come across in my life but it made approach the world in a sensual way. The greatest achievement of Professor’s when it comes to generations of film-makers is to have taught them to see and think in terms of images.

The exhibition allows the visitors to appreciate Jerzy Mierzejewski’s artistic style. At the Conservatory you will be able to see a few sketches drawn with a strong, fast, expressive gesture. A part of the exhibition constitute two science-fiction films "Docent H" and "Pierwszy Pawilon" (First Pavillion) unknown to a wider public which are the result of cooperation between Janusz Majewski and Jerzy Mierzejewski, who worked under the pseudonim, G. J. Sandbarmay.

And finally, the last part of the exhibition are the interviews with Professor’s former students and colleagues who bring closer his character, explain his charisma, and show the teaching method. Among the interviewees there were: Sabina Kubik, Mieczysław Lewandowski, Daniel Szczechura, Krzysztof Zanussi, Janusz Majewski, Janusz Zaorski, Zbigniew Wichłacz, Andrzej Titkow.

The exhibition will be held at the Conservatory Gallery until 30 November.

Exhibition arrangement: Grzegorz Małecki and Tomasz Rolniak

We thank the Mierzejewski family – Gabriela, Rafał, Janek, Helena Czarnecka for lending us the paintings and all the help provided.

Many thanks to Mr Krzysztof Pruszyński for lending a painting from his private collection

Many thanks to Prof. Janusz Zagrodzki for his precious advice and consultation

Films made by: Maria Ornaf, Zuzanna Zachara and Filip Stanisławski

photos: Filip Szkopiński