SARAH STEPHEN
Franciszek Kulon was born in Sanok, Poland, and developed his painting skills by studying with masters such as Bronislaw Naczas, Edward Kiferling, Marian Kruczek and Michal Bylina.
Today, Kulon lives in the Catskills, not far from New York City, and paints subject matter that he feels deeply about. His art often deals with the poverty, cruelty and the pathos of human existence which, according to Kulon, has been degraded through social forces beyond individual human control.
One of Kulon's paintings, pictured here, became famous in 2003. It portrays three cherubs — one holding a pirate flag, another holding the pin of a grenade about to land on two children who lie on a dark cloud, and the third, apparently discouraged angel, grasping a torn US flag and watching the grenade fall.
For less than a day, the painting hung in the concourse of New York State's Sullivan County government centre with other paintings, many of which were collected by long-time curator Sandee Pointer.
Complaints prompted the painting's removal while county manager Dan Briggs was on vacation. Briggs told the Delaware Valley River Reporter on June 5, 2003, that it was safe to say that the painting was removed because it had an anti-war message. To protest against the censorship, Pointer resigned and removed the 100 paintings she had collected.
Visit <http://coolon.net> to see more of Kulon's work.
From Green Left Weekly, June 23, 2004.
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