Teofil Ociepka

Teofil Ociepka (22 April 1891 in Janów Śląski – 15 January 1978 in Bydgoszcz ) was a Polish self-taught primitivist painter and Theosophist. Along with Nikifor, he was one of the best-known Polish primitivists.

Early life Ociepka started working at the age of 15 to financially support his family after his father's death. He took on a series of jobs, eventually becoming a power plant machinist at the Giesche coal mine in Katowice, where he worked until his retirement. He served as a soldier in the German Army during the First World War, and was introduced to occultism during that time, On the recommendation of his Swiss mentor, Philip Hohmann of Wittenberg, with whom he maintained steady correspondence, Ociepka became a member of the Rosicrucian Lodge and attained the status of Master of Secret Sciences. On Hohmann's direction, he organized a strong occultist community in Janów. He maintained contact with the Julian Ochorowicz Parapsychological Society of Lviv. He believed that he had a spiritual link with his master, who telepathically inspired his art.

Artistic career and the Janowska Group Hohmann persuaded Ociepka to start painting circa 1927. Ociepka painted until the 1930s, then taking a break and only returning to the craft in 1947. Several different reasons have been given for this break, including a "lack of understanding of his art", a cool reception by the curators of the Silesian Museum,

Under Stachowicz's tutelage, Ociepka and other regional artists were able to cultivate their own artistic style and movement, which became known as the Janowska Group. Her support, along with that of Otton Klimczok, allowed the Janowska Group to thrive in a post-Stalinist Eastern Bloc. Its works did not need to fully adhere to the principles of socialist realism, in notable contrast with most other prominent art produced in Poland at that time. While Ociepka saw himself as part of the Group, he declined invitations to paint with others, preferring to create his art in the solitude of his home. Many of his paintings are also heavily influenced by Rosicrucian ideology, though, in addition to his esoteric focus, he was also heavily inspired by Catholic and Silesian thinking. He strongly opposed materialism, seeing it as a force of evil in sharp contrast with his religiously inspired way of seeing the world.

Later, his works depicted themes from fairy tales, legends, and lives of miners. They are characterized by wealth of imagination and bright, rich colors.

Later life As he was approaching his retirement, he received a letter from Julia Ufnal from Bydgoszcz, who expressed a deep interest in metaphysics and spoke of a "moral and spiritual command" to take care of the artist. Ociepka and Ufnal married in 1959, after which the artist started to distance himself from occultism and cut off contact with some of his friends in the art world. In 1969, the couple moved to Bydgoszcz.

Selected works Miner Hydra Lion from Saturn Bear from Saturn Three Headed Dragon