Last time I heard one of the most compelling conceptions regarding God. The author of this theory is Zdzislaw Beksinski.
In one of his conversations with the promoter of his artworks (named Piotr Dmochowski), a famous Polish painter, quite precisely described his feelings regarding religion. Interesting is the fact that I see some similarities between Beksinski’s point of view and mine. We were both brought up in the spirit of Catholicism without excessive pressure from our surroundings. Beksinski left Catholicism quite early but did not convert to other religions. Neither do I attend the Church mass.
Moreover, I do not plan to do that. Later on, my way with Beksinski changed course somehow. Famous Polish painter adopted a substitute form of religion (he even called it metaphysics), not too precisely defined — this kind of beliefs he externalized in his paintings. He claimed that all the Catholic rituals were indigestible to him.
Moreover, when he tried to adopt one of the religions of the Far East, he stated that this kind of belief was too foreign to him. Nirvana, for example, for Beksinski, was something he was most afraid of.
In general, regarding religion, Beksinski realized that he was left alone. I believe that this kind of solitude we can find in his paintings. His artworks helped him to obtain his relation with eternity. Nevertheless, God was for Beksinski something thoroughly incomprehensible. For him, God was someone like a chief accountant in a dairy shop. This heavenly financier possessed all the advantages and disadvantages of the chief accountant. This type of personality, represented by God, was something completely strange to a Polish painter. For him, God was somehow demonstrated as a store manager.
For Beksinski, God was someone who continually books, counts, analyzes, and settles the sins of all humans.
I work as an accountant. Street photography and blogging are my passions. Still, I made of my career some financial statements. In such reports, we must present the company’s income and costs. Moreover, we, as accountants, must explain and describe them. Are the sins and good deeds counterparts accounting for income and expenses for the God-Accountant? I do not know. Still, perhaps God’s angels (the equivalent of Junior Accountants) are counting and booking all peoples’ sins and good deeds. Later, the God/Chief Accountant makes financial statements for each human. Based on the net result, we shall go to hell or heaven.
The words I wrote in the above paragraph are my insights that Beksinski inspired.
Back to the Polish painter: Beksinski did not know why he would have to appreciate and worship this kind of being. Nevertheless, there is another link between Beksinski’s approach to faith and my attitude toward religion. Famous Polish painter stated that at first glance, we look more like someone’s creation than a result of the revolution. In one of my previous posts, I already wrote a similar theory that our world consists of ostensible chaos. I am convinced that we cannot understand and find the critical answers and solutions to our existential issues. For Beksinski, we all are like someone else’s relatively primitive artwork. For me, the religious beliefs of one of the most famous Polish painters are one of the most impressive views regarding the eternal world. All the more so, as Beksinski’s metaphysics ideas are similar to my beliefs in some places.
Lastly, I would like to mention that also in Stanislaw Lem’s literary, science-fiction output, humans are often presented as a species who are not able to know fundamental knowledge about the surrounding world. Speaking shortly: I recommend you, my Dear Friend, analyze Zdzislaw Beksinski’s paintings and read Stanislaw Lem’s books.
