In 1980, on the verge of the new decade, it is comparatively easy to grasp some basic features caracteristic of artistic activity at the end of seventies. One cannot doubt that essential changes that occured in art in the last decade enable us to speak about qualitatively new stage of artistic activity. It seems to me that wereas the sixties (and specially the end of that period) were characterized by exceptional in the history of art - "expansion" of artistic activities connected with heated intellectual movement of those years, by proposals of "counter-culture" and belief in power and efficencyof artist's social activity which appeared utopian, the seventies were characterized by deep reflection on the role of an artist and art in cotemporary world. This transition from the expansive into cognitive attitude results not only from disappointment with unfullfilled visions of "contestants" but also from deepseated political and economic problems and growth of tension in the world. [...]
Extracto del texto de presentación de Stanislaw Urbanski