Sempoliński completed the School of the Credit Association of the City of Warsaw (1917). In the years 1918-1936, he worked as an electro-technician in Warsaw and photographed for pleasure. In 1922-1923, Sempoliński studied at the W. Gerson City School of Decorative Arts. He made his debut as a photographer in 1938 at the Beauty of Vilnius and its Area exhibition, organised by Jan Bułhak. He spent World War II in Warsaw, remaining in the Old Town during the Warsaw Uprising. Sempoliński co-founded ZPAF and the Polish Photographic Society. In 1947-1949, along with his fellow photographers Fortunata Obrąpalska, Zbigniew Dłubak and Edward Hartwig, he battled for modern art photography by renouncing the traditional pictorial approach and seeking inspiration in the avant-garde art movement of the 1920s. He took part in the historic exhibitions of 1948: The 1st Exhibition of Modern Photography in Warsaw, The 2nd National Photographic Exhibition in Poznań and The 1st Exhibition of Modern Arts in Cracow.
1950
gelatin silver print, 17.4 x 12.4 cm,
author`s stamp on the reverse,
edition: unspecified
vintage print
Sempoliński enthusiastically photographed the rebuilding of Warsaw after World War II, the labourers` toil and artists` participation in that huge project, as well as the reconstructed or newly built housing estates. In the 1950s, he turned his attention to the poorer areas of Warsaw, but it was only in the 1970s that he created most of the snaps in these series. They are a unique documentation of the city quarters which no longer exist.
Sempoliński completed the School of the Credit Association of the City of Warsaw (1917). In the years 1918-1936, he worked as an electro-technician in Warsaw and photographed for pleasure. In 1922-1923, Sempoliński studied at the W. Gerson City School of Decorative Arts. He made his debut as a photographer in 1938 at the Beauty of Vilnius and its Area exhibition, organised by Jan Bułhak. He spent World War II in Warsaw, remaining in the Old Town during the Warsaw Uprising. Sempoliński co-founded ZPAF and the Polish Photographic Society. In 1947-1949, along with his fellow photographers Fortunata Obrąpalska, Zbigniew Dłubak and Edward Hartwig, he battled for modern art photography by renouncing the traditional pictorial approach and seeking inspiration in the avant-garde art movement of the 1920s. He took part in the historic exhibitions of 1948: The 1st Exhibition of Modern Photography in Warsaw, The 2nd National Photographic Exhibition in Poznań and The 1st Exhibition of Modern Arts in Cracow.