Hussar
…The most brilliant years of its (the hussars) fell on the last quarter of the 16th century and the first quarter of the 17th century, when the Poles owed a series of spectacular victories to the hussars’ charges. It was thanks to them that the Polish crew stood in the Moscow Kremlin, and the Polish prince was elected tsar (1610). This happened after the Battle of Klushino (July 4, 1610), in which the army of the Republic, mostly composed of hussars, defeated an enemy approximately seven times more numerous. It is to the hussars that we owe the victory over the three times more numerous Swedes at Kircholm (September 27, 1605). It was their charge at Chocim (September 7, 1621) that defeated and drove from the field the Turkish troops fifteen times more numerous. Seeing this, the young sultan Osman II burst into tears of sorrow and helplessness. They were the core of the royal army that massacred a six times larger army consisting of landsknechts recruited by the rebellious citizens of Gdańsk and the townspeople themselves in the Battle of Lubieszów (April 17, 1577). And it was thanks to their presence that the five times larger Wallachian-Moldavian army fled from the battlefield of Curtea de Argeş (November 25, 1600). These are just a few examples from the long list of battles in which the hussars gained fame.
Fame… for it many hussars were ready to sacrifice their lives, and it happened that the fame accompanying this formation aroused fear in the opponents and at the very sight of the hussars the enemies took to their heels….” Hussars Pride of the Polish Arms, Radosław Sikora , Krakow 2019
Husarz (Hussar Comrade) was completed on December 19, 2021. Work on it from the moment of conception lasted almost three years, although the idea of creating the Husarz appeared much earlier… Originally, it was supposed to be a knight in full armor on a charging horse, However, there are many similar works in both historical and contemporary art.
My concept changed when I found a catalog of works by a photographer friend of mine, a ceramic artist who created exotic warriors dressed only from the waist down, and I realized that in our native culture they do not exist this kind of work and warriors or knights are always dressed in armor. And who else but the Polish hussar is a symbol of chivalry, power, courage, fortitude and steadfastness, but also of great discipline.
In this way, the idea of materializing the vision of a strongman, a hussar companion dressed in tight trousers fastened with buttons and shoes from the beginning was born 16th century with an attribute in the form of a “batorówka” sabre held in the hand.
The intriguing eye sockets of the Companion, although physically empty, do not give such an impression from a distance. Lovers of Slavic beliefs should think of crab cakes 🙂 and lovers of antiquity – Greek theatre masks.
The rest I leave the interpretation of the sculpture to your imagination…
In my own metal sculptures, I avoid the obvious or current trends. Above all, I focus on originality and uniqueness so that my effort does not get lost in the crowd of projects by other artists or craftsmen. It is the uniqueness and characteristic style of my works that guarantee you an increase in their value over the years. The metal sculpture “Comrade” is part of this growing creative output and you will find more in my bio.
On request
On request, I will make any sculpture in any size, from any materials and in any technique that would suit you best.
I also adjust projects to the proposed client’s budget. This is a popular form especially in the case of local government institutions or associations.
The distance to the potential client does not matter. My metal sculptures can be seen live in Bielsko-Biala and Kozy, but they have also found their place among many collectors throughout Poland, Europe, North America and Australia.
