says the caption under the photo taken in 1986 at the jury meeting. At that time, that hand’s gesture was very meaningful indeed. Not only did it judge the verdicts, but it also drew both catalogue covers (1987) of “Satyrykon i Fotożart” and “Mieszanka firmowa” – the publishing which summarised the competition and festival’s first ten years. And it depicted there all most important elements of Satyrykon ritual – awarding the prizes, cabaret stage and social life.
Bohdanowicz would come here since almost very beginning, showing up at exhibitions and preserving Legnica “local colour” at satirical open air workshops. He used to come here in those most difficult, lean years when Satyrykon was at the verge of its existence. In 1984, when the competition was reduced to only photo joke category, his individual exhibition saved the drawing honour. At the varnishing which took the convention of a laundry, a lot of dirty things were laundered (including very real ones too).
His is the clever remark, still so up to date nowadays: “ZUS mi to wyjąłeś” (word-game). Always a contrary witness of the beginnings of satirists’ frivolous integration, Bohdanowicz became the well-remembered character (how could it be the other way?) of Andrzej Waligórski’s poems. As a juror, as Zdzisław Smektała once a bit sarcastically put it, he used to appreciate mostly those “orthodox drawers”. This might have been the reason for which a little later on Bohdanowicz’s and Satyrykon’s routes went apart a bit. At the same time it might have been the reason for which one could only deeply enjoy his excellent style cartoons once they appeared again (2008).
Taking Waligórski’s epitaph seriously we’ll come back to Bohdanowicz’s satire not a time. Let’s look for now at His website – with “entry” picture of so Effel’s analogic cycle. In colour. Another one on the same topic once took a prize at Satyrykon (1985). It’s been reduced now to monochromatic scan from catalogue but one can still easily find the Master’s wit and hand in it. And those in Drawers’ Heaven won’t feel bored in his company at all…
Julian Bohdanowicz (1942-2015)
Awards: Satyrykon 1978 – the audience award, 1980 – II award, 1985 – silver pencil award, 1995 – bronze medal
Individual exhibitions: 1980, 1984
Satyrykon juror: 1979, 1986,
The Chairman of Satyrykon Jury: 1981, 1994