MY TEACHING MOBILITY IN WARSAW: Dimitrije Pecić

Dimitrije Pecić
University of Arts, Faculty of Fine Arts

Erasmus+ Mobility for Teaching at:

Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, Poland

I made a working visit to the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts from 17 to 23 March 2024 (five workdays) as part of the Erasmus+ teaching staff mobility programme. The overall experience was extremely positive, as my stay in Warsaw and working visit to the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts were very professionally organized. All the staff at the Office for International Cooperation, as well as the colleagues from the Faculty of Graphic Arts where I was a guest teacher, were very kind, assisting me to carry out my teaching programme in a friendly and pleasant work setting.

Throughout five workdays, I carried out my programme of lectures with the second-year students of Professor Andrzej Weclawski. I presented some of my works from the three of my cycles from 2004-2024. Cycle Danube, A view from the window and Waiting for take off, produced in combined techniques on paper and colour woodcut. The topic of the lectures was the relationship between drawing and printmaking – woodcut, in my artistic work. I pointed out the importance of the drawing in my work and explained the conceptual, creative and technical process of the colour woodcut, from the first sketches to the multiple-colour print.

I am very satisfied with the attendance and the response I received from both professors and students and with the attention with which they followed my talk on the concept of my work and the printmaking process of the woodcut. During the talk, I was asked questions about the various technical aspects of the colour woodcut process and my specific approach to the medium. I showed the photos of original matrices from which one of my woodcuts was produced as well as the final prints, and this allowed me to explain more effectively the concept of my work and offer an introduction to my approach. By actively responding and taking part in the lectures, my colleagues Andrzej Weclawski, Agnieszka Cieslinska,  Kamil Zaleski and others offered me outstanding support and made it possible for the lectures to proceed in a lively, dynamic atmosphere. The students also showed considerable interest, particularly those who have already worked in the technique of the woodcut and have experience in this area. I had the great pleasure of looking over the prints of several students, witnessing their serious and ambitious approach to their work, and hearing from them how pleased they are to have the opportunity to study at the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts.

During my stay at the Academy number of colleagues introduced me to their teaching methods and their work with students, enabling me to gain insight into the variety of academic programmes and their teaching methodology. In this way, new opportunities for cooperation with the Faculty of Fine Arts in Belgrade were also opened up, above all for the exchange of exhibitions of professors’ and students’ works and collaboration on joint projects.

In the field of contemporary graphic art Polish artists hold a very high position globally, and that is primarily due to the outstanding quality of work at the Polish Academies of Fine Arts, which enable students to continue with independent work after completing their studies. This is one of the most important reasons that my visit to the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts was so useful, as it enabled me to explore, through direct contact with colleagues and students, the traditional qualities of Polish printmaking and also the contemporary approach to graphic art teaching at its renowned Faculty of Graphic Art. I also hope that my own printmaking experiences and the lectures and workshops I held during my stay will contribute to the strengthening of cooperation between the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts and the Faculty of Fine Arts in Belgrade.