Swietlan Kraczyna
Encyclopedia
Swietlan Nicholas Kraczyna is a painter and multi-plate etching
artist, working primarily in Italy
. He was born on the Russian-Poland border in 1940.
and a MFA from Southern Illinois University
in 1964. Since then he has been teaching in the U.S., England, Italy and the Czech Republic. In 1983 he participated in the foundation of the International School of Advanced Printmaking in Florence, 'Il Bisonte', together with its founder Maria Luigia Guaita and others. He also lives in Florence, Italy and became a master of multi-plate color etching. His art reflects ancient themes and traditions of Italian Renaissance
, often inspired by music, dance or theater. The landscape of Tuscany
daily surrounds him. Yet he exhibits one-man shows annually in the United States. Kraczyna was married to master puppeteer
Amy Luckenbach from 1964 until her death in the summer of 2009 in their home at Colleramole.
Biennale di Grafica. His multi-plate color etchings are represented in the Uffizi Gallery Prints and Drawings Collection. Kraczyna is teaching at the printmaking school 'Il Bisonte' in Florence. He also teaches at Sarah Lawrence College
, Bronxville New York, which usually happens during summer courses. And his printshop in Barga, Italy, attracts many students from Japan
, Korea
, Peru
, Columbia
, Mexico
, Turkey
, USA, England
and Italy
for his summer-courses. Many of his students now teach in prestigious schools or have become well known as Printmaking Artists. Amongst them Sandro Bracchitta, Toni Pecoraro, Albert Puplampu, Andrea Serafini, Chesney Floyd, Maya Hardin, Gianfranco Pacini, Marco De Luca, Daphna Guttmann, Vincenzo Burlizzi, Erico Kito, Charley Goodby, Maureen Banker, Gary Lisa, Sun Jung Kim, Albert Beach, Zeynep Baransel, Patricia Alejandra Cordoba, Sandra Rigali, Katherin Godwin, Manuel Ortega, Silvia Papucci, Juan Esteban Sandoval, Makiko Ogata, Giovanni Greppi and Hubertine Heijermans, who is the eldest.
on all his color etchings. It took him years to adjust the many colors on the very large color-etchings of the maestro. Swietlan Kraczyna has also demonstrated his skills in Universities and art schools in the United States, England, Italy, Mexico, Columbia and South America.
:multi-plate color etchings 1975–1985 with an introduction by Corrado Bologna, edited by Belforte Editore, Livorno, Italy. He was guest professor at the Point of Contact Gallery at the College of Visual & Performing Arts of Syracuse University
in the spring of 2008. A structure of an actual labyrinth was created around a series of 25 drawings and etching inspired by the Borgian notion of the labyrinth. He now mainly works and teaches in his own studio in Barga. In 2003 a large exhibit of his work took place in this small town, under the title '40 years of Icarus
' flight', Kraczyna illustrated and engraved in memory his graphic work from 1962–2002, in Fondazione Ricci, Barga, Lucca. In the meantime his paper-back book containing 83 photos of the 1966 disaster of the flooding of the river Arno
had finally been published. With 10 of these photos Kraczyna won the prize of the Fiorino d'Oro, one of the highest rewards of Florence.
Etching
Etching is the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio in the metal...
artist, working primarily in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. He was born on the Russian-Poland border in 1940.
Early life
He lived in a German refugee camp until 1951 when his family emigrated to New Haven, CT. In 1962 he obtained his BFA from the Rhode Island School of DesignRhode Island School of Design
Rhode Island School of Design is a fine arts and design college located in Providence, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1877. Located at the base of College Hill, the RISD campus is contiguous with the Brown University campus. The two institutions share social, academic, and community resources and...
and a MFA from Southern Illinois University
Southern Illinois University
Southern Illinois University is a state university system based in Carbondale, Illinois, in the Southern Illinois region of the state, with multiple campuses...
in 1964. Since then he has been teaching in the U.S., England, Italy and the Czech Republic. In 1983 he participated in the foundation of the International School of Advanced Printmaking in Florence, 'Il Bisonte', together with its founder Maria Luigia Guaita and others. He also lives in Florence, Italy and became a master of multi-plate color etching. His art reflects ancient themes and traditions of Italian Renaissance
Italian Renaissance
The Italian Renaissance began the opening phase of the Renaissance, a period of great cultural change and achievement in Europe that spanned the period from the end of the 13th century to about 1600, marking the transition between Medieval and Early Modern Europe...
, often inspired by music, dance or theater. The landscape of Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
daily surrounds him. Yet he exhibits one-man shows annually in the United States. Kraczyna was married to master puppeteer
Puppeteer
A puppeteer is a person who manipulates an inanimate object, such as a puppet, in real time to create the illusion of life. The puppeteer may be visible to or hidden from the audience. A puppeteer can operate a puppet indirectly by the use of strings, rods, wires, electronics or directly by his or...
Amy Luckenbach from 1964 until her death in the summer of 2009 in their home at Colleramole.
Teaching graphic arts
In 1966 Kraczyna switched from painting to graphic arts and set up an etching department at Villa Schifanoia (Rosary College Graduate School of Fine Arts) in Florence. In 1970 he was one of ten artists to represent the United States in the Palazzo StrozziPalazzo Strozzi
Palazzo Strozzi is a palace in Florence, Italy.-History:The construction of the palace begun in 1489 by Benedetto da Maiano, for Filippo Strozzi the Elder, a rival of the Medici who had returned to the city in November 1466 and desired the most magnificent palace to assert his family's continued...
Biennale di Grafica. His multi-plate color etchings are represented in the Uffizi Gallery Prints and Drawings Collection. Kraczyna is teaching at the printmaking school 'Il Bisonte' in Florence. He also teaches at Sarah Lawrence College
Sarah Lawrence College
Sarah Lawrence College is a private liberal arts college in the United States, and a leader in progressive education since its founding in 1926. Located just 30 minutes north of Midtown Manhattan in southern Westchester County, New York, in the city of Yonkers, this coeducational college offers...
, Bronxville New York, which usually happens during summer courses. And his printshop in Barga, Italy, attracts many students from Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, Columbia
Columbia
Columbia may refer to:-Places:* Columbia , a poetic name for the Americas, and the feminine personification of the United States of America* District of Columbia, the federal district in which the capital of the United States is located...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, USA, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
for his summer-courses. Many of his students now teach in prestigious schools or have become well known as Printmaking Artists. Amongst them Sandro Bracchitta, Toni Pecoraro, Albert Puplampu, Andrea Serafini, Chesney Floyd, Maya Hardin, Gianfranco Pacini, Marco De Luca, Daphna Guttmann, Vincenzo Burlizzi, Erico Kito, Charley Goodby, Maureen Banker, Gary Lisa, Sun Jung Kim, Albert Beach, Zeynep Baransel, Patricia Alejandra Cordoba, Sandra Rigali, Katherin Godwin, Manuel Ortega, Silvia Papucci, Juan Esteban Sandoval, Makiko Ogata, Giovanni Greppi and Hubertine Heijermans, who is the eldest.
Marino Marini
From 1973 until 1980 Kraczyna worked as the technical assistant to the painter and sculptor Marino MariniMarino Marini
Marino Marini was an Italian sculptor. -Biography:He attended the Accademia Di Belle Arti in Florence in 1917. Although he never abandoned painting, Marini devoted himself primarily to sculpture from about 1922. From this time his work was influenced by Etruscan art and the sculpture of Arturo...
on all his color etchings. It took him years to adjust the many colors on the very large color-etchings of the maestro. Swietlan Kraczyna has also demonstrated his skills in Universities and art schools in the United States, England, Italy, Mexico, Columbia and South America.
Books and exhibits
He is co-author of I Segni Incisi, the first Italian textbook on the history and comprehensible techniques of etching. In 1975 he also created a book containing the so-called 'Dancing the LabyrinthLabyrinth
In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth was an elaborate structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos...
:multi-plate color etchings 1975–1985 with an introduction by Corrado Bologna, edited by Belforte Editore, Livorno, Italy. He was guest professor at the Point of Contact Gallery at the College of Visual & Performing Arts of Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
in the spring of 2008. A structure of an actual labyrinth was created around a series of 25 drawings and etching inspired by the Borgian notion of the labyrinth. He now mainly works and teaches in his own studio in Barga. In 2003 a large exhibit of his work took place in this small town, under the title '40 years of Icarus
Icarus
-Space and astronomy:* Icarus , on the Moon* Icarus , a planetary science journal* 1566 Icarus, an asteroid* IKAROS, a interplanetary unmanned spacecraft...
' flight', Kraczyna illustrated and engraved in memory his graphic work from 1962–2002, in Fondazione Ricci, Barga, Lucca. In the meantime his paper-back book containing 83 photos of the 1966 disaster of the flooding of the river Arno
Arno
The Arno is a river in the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the most important river of central Italy after the Tiber.- Source and route :The river originates on Mount Falterona in the Casentino area of the Apennines, and initially takes a southward curve...
had finally been published. With 10 of these photos Kraczyna won the prize of the Fiorino d'Oro, one of the highest rewards of Florence.
Publications
- 1993 Swietlan Kraczyna: thirty year retrospective
- 1998 Swietlan N. Kraczyna, Artist-in-Residence
- 1985 I Segni incisi: guida alla xilografia e alla incisione in nero e a colori.
- 1985 The Rite of Spring and the Nine Variations on a Theme of Igor Stravinsky:
- 1982. Oneiric Carnival, Swietlan Kraczyna