Born in Poland in 1952, Jacek Yerka studied fine art and graphics prior to becoming a full-time artist in 1980. While at university, Yerka resisted the constant pressures of his instructors to adopt the less detailed, less realistic techniques that characterize so much of contemporary art. Instead, he stubbornly continued to work in the classic, meticulous Flemish style he still favors to this day. In the end, it was his teachers who eventually relented, finally recognizing the talent of their determined student.

The pastoral atmosphere of the Polish countryside provides a solid foundation for much of Yerka’s art. However, it is his own uniquely evocative dreams that delineate the complex, often arcane imagery of his work. One need only glance at the luminous surfaces of Yerka’s canvases to perceive his adoration and resonance with the master painters of the 15th and 16th centuries, key factors in his surrealist development. Hieronymus…