One of the theories describing the origin of art states the first attempts of copying reality in drawings were the reaction of human beings to awe of being, anxiety about existence in the world which had been unknown, sinister and incomprehensible. The graphic image of a starry sky, boundless spaces and herds of galloping animals was becoming an act of understanding and taming the nature which surrounded Man. This tendency, connected with the need to find a tranquillising order, has developed throughout the ages and gradually provided better and better understanding of the laws regulating our existence. When in Renaissance, owing to descriptive geometry, Man was at last able to present the whole world precisely on a sheet of paper and to measure it, not moving from his studio, he eventually announced himself to be the omnipotent master.

You can not resist the impression that in graphic works created by Dariusz Kaca there is not only delight in the logic and the beauty of nature, but also the subconscious need to restrain it, as well as atavistic echoes of a persistent desire to discover the universal and ultimate order hidden in space enormity and time infinity.

The early works are still full of humility of a man facing mystery. The recognition of precision which nebulas of the sky, astral objects almost immersed in metaphysical light are copied with, the accuracy of composing the existing and non-existing constellations on the surface, are accompanied by the pleasure of contesting the profound and concentrated spectrum of blues, violets and pinks, full of gentle transitions and submitted to radiant irisation. In the background there are hundreds of stars, shinning with white which is faintly dimmed by the colourful ground and surrounding and distinct borders of zones occupied by particular constellations appear.

Little by little the discipline weakens, as if, together with the artist's self-confidence associated with the awareness of space enormity and the mystery of the starry sky, he felt encouraged to enrich this moderate graphic image with a more spontaneous gesture, a distinction of plans functioning next to one another, a more confident choice of colours in the palette.

Since the beginning Dariusz Kaca's sky has always been 'His'. It was He who created the subsequent 'personal' constellations, finally dedicating them to close relatives and friends. Now, after a long-lasting contemplation of the phenomenon of this fragment of nature, the relations between points, lines and geometrical figures frequently being just under the surface of the composition are accompanied by natural 'strokes of a brush', more astonishing play of colours, numerous contrasts of forms and their suggestively presented textures. Preserving balance of contrasts, the artist undoubtedly introduces more sensual factor and more freedom. Even at the stage of preparations the artist sometimes does without preliminary strict plans, making only general concept sketches.

The change can also be observed in violating the composition of a picture which has been calm and static so far. Up till now the diagonal accents introducing some disorder in the calm and moderate vision have been dynamic elements of the composition; in the latest works not only the composition of elements but also their independence, movement and dynamics determine the energy of the pictures.

We still feel the mystery of silence, permanence, esoteric simplicity of forms expressing eternity, unalterability, universality. Dariusz Kaca manages to recognise and describe these laws and relations in a convincing way. Therefore we can even treat these frequently very suggestive representations as compositions of forms and colours in various relations, tending to abstraction (yet not abstract), expressing the truth about the nature of the matter. In this sense Man is continuously present in the created world of graphics even if he does not appear there as a visual element. He manifests his presence by the need to inquire into the essence of the world, by asking questions about the position of a human being in the enormity of natural phenomena, about the possibilities of discovering the absolute truths which are symbolised by infinity of space and permanent duration.

These truths, kept in secret so far, are revealed by Dariusz Kaca in his sculptures, and in a slightly different way, in his unique artistic 'books'. The sculpture compositions made in porcelain surprise from the very beginning by the striking contrast between the fragile sophisticated ceramic material and ' the weight' of the expressed content.

Here, like in other works, the artist appears to be convinced that the logic of the world is everlasting, it may only be spectacularly revealed and expressed by means of simple primary elements represented by basic geometrical forms and discords accompanying them, introducing temporary disorders. Dariusz Kaca's sculptures have a modular character. The starting point becomes a regular geometrical figure - a rectangle, a circle - derived from the two-dimensional surface into the three-dimensional space by means of modelling endeavours. The division of the initial form into its components is the fundamental means, and the components, in turn, originating from it, become somehow autonomic and - as a result of space rearrangement - are apt to build new varied forms. The number of permutations is obviously enormous. Still being the parts of a circle or a rectangle, the components simultaneously illustrate the way the phenomenon of existence of quality in quantity functions.

The introduction of mathematical principles influencing the division of the elements does not eliminate the feeling of some restrictions imposed by the composition, as if the logic of nature was transferred into the sphere of architectural constructions, like in the process of shaping an organic form in the classical art of Greece. In modelling the form there are relief elements (often stuck on) and their concave negatives, uplifts and engravings, contrastive texture effects obtained by various techniques of tooling: grinding, cutting, scraping or glazing. These measures together with making surface more flexible by bending the cut-off surfaces becomes a source of additional divisions and influences the presence of light-and-shade effects.

We have an impression that we take part in the process of creation of a new original form. The artistic books designed by Dariusz Kaca could also be included in the category of sculpture. They go beyond the borders of traditional forms assumed by literary works, being a kind of artistic objects. Here again the artist inclines to consider the essential issues of changeability and the cyclic character of phenomena paradoxically constituting what is certain and permanent.

In one of the works a motif of a longitudinal section of a tree trunk, which is present on the pages of the book ( the covers are made here of the halves of an original trunk), develops - due to the technique of reductive woodcut - from a simple form to a condensed organic structure, only to come back to the starting point again. It is accompanied by logical changeability of colour intensifying the impression of a repetitive, therefore monotonous transformation. In another work the artist refers to the motif of four seasons of the year, emphasising the diversity and the cyclic character of natural phenomena which have no beginning and no end. In the process of presentation the book has a form of a revolving cylinder, suggesting, due to a specific process of perception, the assumed artistic interpretation. A genuine seed included in the composition applies to another essential aspect of the reflection on the matter of impermanence. It becomes a symbol of end, decline, simultaneously constituting an apparent testimony of revival and life.

In the subsequent composition, considering the fundamental truths, the artist concentrates on the problem of developing and reducing the form in the repetitive process of transferring from a point to a surface, from a line to a condensed form, from approaching to receding, and at the same time from diminishing to enlarging. The expression expands the range of possible connotations, including not only the sphere of nature, but entering the sphere of abstraction, considering the essence of art and the meaning of the artist's individual gesture.

In his books the artist enriches the materials he uses: paper, wood, fabric, by colouring, differentiating textures and, what is worth stressing, numerous typographic techniques (especially in his master thesis). Like in concrete poetry, and especially in visual poetry, language signs and their order become the substance for visual and literary activities; their material aspect is extremely significant here. In the artistic book, in spite of the presence of universal abstract problems we get closer to nature - by setting general meditations in the context of changes of the world of nature or by using familiar organic materials.

A similar awareness of proximity is present in small forms of graphics. Despite numerous references to the image of the sky, a motif of the earth's landscape appears, limited to a visual brief, non-realistic strife between surfaces, almost abstract composition of surfaces, colours. The image of a bird frequently enters this scenery, warming up the landscape by a sudden appearance of the winged messenger. It is a motif which both belongs to our terrestrial globe and to the world of the infinite sky. On the one hand it is an expression of Man's desires, which might reflect the artist's aspirations as well, a personal sign of dreams, a creature which was partly allowed to experience the incomprehensible and mysterious issues, on the other hand a universal symbol of a mediator between the worlds, a harbinger of unexpected events, most often ultimate ones. The winged creature is not only an ordinary bird, it is also a Phoenix which once again refers, in Dariusz Kaca's work, to a motif of revival and immortality.

Antinomies of day and night, the sky and the Earth, the sky and water let us recall motives based in a widely understood cultural tradition, mostly in mythology. Andromeda, Cassiopeia or Aquarius are not only the names of constellations, they are names referring to the remote ancient heritage and at the same time they are a pretext to raise questions about continuity in the sphere of culture, about the present meaning of these significant motives, about the links with the cultural domain which our Western civilisation originated from.

The landscape, which is nearly abstract at the beginning, frequently has mythological associations. Despite this, or perhaps because of this, in these smaller works it might be closer to Man and human dramas personified by heroes and heroines taken from the mythology. More tamed in this way, like the sky in some larger graphics, it becomes an area of more confident and artistically brave experiments with proportionally bigger and more diversified surfaces, freely created shapes and arrangements of colours.

Dariusz Kaca still uses very precise artistic means of expression. Although, in a sense, he moved from a disciplined scientific reflection to a more spontaneous poetic speculation, he is all the time faithful to tradition, both in the sphere of thoughts and in his graphic workshop. The technical skill deriving from this loyalty and an inclination to work precisely on each detail let him construct, in every format, with every technique, and in each artistic discipline, brilliant yet free of minauderie expressions, clear statements on complicated issues, honest though not ultimate replies.

Dariusz Leśnikowski