Janis Bruchwalski’s work fuses surrealism and expressionism, revealing an unsettling beauty in grotesque figures and dreamlike landscapes. Working with acrylics, he constructs distorted worlds where figures drift through uncanny settings, exploring themes of pain, transformation, and the search for meaning. In paintings like "The Column Eater" and "Return of a Friend," his large-scale compositions pull the viewer into a realm that feels both alien and familiar. Bruchwalski’s work disrupts perception, inviting personal interpretation of the emotions and narratives woven into each scene.
Q: What led you to start drawing and painting, and how did you develop your skills over time?
A: As a child, I always doodled and crafted things with paper. Later, I tried drawing comics and made 3D models on the computer. Then, I wanted to paint my brother as a clown on a small canvas, just as a joke. But I realized how much fun painting is.
Q: As a self-taught artist, what has your learning process looked like? Are there any particular approaches or techniques that helped you along the way?
A: I always liked drawing ugly faces more than just smiley faces. I practiced by trying to focus on the wrinkles and angular contours of the face. When I was 3D modeling, it also helped me to internalize the contours and proportions of a face. But I also had several books about drawing as a child and watched a lot of YouTube videos about drawing basics like color theory and other things.
Q: Surrealism plays a big role in your work. What draws you to surrealism, and how does it shape the way you create your art?
A: A lot of surrealist images often show nonsensical or funny things, sometimes to make a statement or present a puzzle. Many images convey the idea that there is more to discover than just what is visible on the surface. That fascinates me.
Q: You often feature strange and unsettling figures in your paintings. What’s behind your choice to portray these kinds of subjects?
A: I think that unsettling figures stand out because they stay in memory and make you question why things might look the way they do.
Q: Many of your pieces, like "Return of a Friend", deal with themes of pain and change. How do these ideas connect with your own experiences or views?
A: We all have pain and change in our lives. Seeing such feelings not only in your own life but also in art, for example, helps you to be reminded that you are not alone and you don’t have to go through it alone. It helps you to deal with it.
Q: You’ve mentioned wanting to explore worlds that provoke wonder. What kind of places or scenes do you imagine for your future work?
A: I like the feeling of big spaces with big horizons and huge structures. I will probably paint a lot of clouds because I find that a big sky with lots of clouds can reflect a lot of emotions, like calmness, but also drama if they are huge dark clouds.
Q: "The Column Eater" was a large, ongoing project. What was the journey like creating this piece, and how did it come together in the end?
A: The idea came when doodling in the train while listening to music. The plan was from the beginning to make it on a large canvas. I wanted only one very large figure, and I wanted to stick it out. When I drew the background, I was worried that the painting wouldn’t look good. But after I drew the building, I was very unhappy with it. For two months, it just stood in my room. But after touching it and putting a thin layer of color over it, it looked so much better. Painting the columns took so much longer than I thought and didn’t look as good as I imagined. But when it all came together in the end, I thought it looked good, and I was so happy with it.
Q: In works like "The Fool", you leave parts of the story up to the viewer’s interpretation. Why is that openness important to you in your art?
A: I always like to interpret things into stories that are not directly stated. Whether it is the feelings of characters or whether there are parallels to other stories. I think that if you give just enough information in a painting to trigger a thought but leave a lot open, this encourages people to interpret something for themselves. I hope people enjoy this interpreting and, therefore, my paintings too.