“The Eye with Which I See Is the Same Eye That Sees Me”. A Conversation with Danuta Waberska

Abstract

This text is based on a conversation with Danuta Waberska (b. 1943), a painter recognised in the third quarter of the twentieth century who, influenced by religious experiences, withdrew from public artistic life and from 1985 focused on producing sacred or metaphysical works. In the interview, she recounts key biographical events, points to her inspirations, and recalls meetings with clergy and creators important to her (including Marian Bogusz) in Poznań, where she lived until 2011. Among the topics concerning religious art are attempts to answer questions about the possibility of depicting God – also in the context of the biblical prohibition (Exod. 20, 3–7) – the
legitimacy of figurative painting, models for images of Jesus (the Veil of Manoppello, the Shroud of Turin), and the validity of the veneration of images. Jewish tradition is discussed separately. The artist also reflects on common paths between Ignatian
Christian meditation and Buddhist contemplation. The conversation considers the condition of the contemporary artist, the need for artistic education, and the issue of anonymity. Finally, it addresses contemporary sacred art and the phenomenon
of kitsch. Because the interview touches on many of the painter’s experiences, it concludes with a meditation on the mystery of death, as well as questions about the existence of hell, purgatory, and heaven.