A Survey of Culture and Visual Arts of Gypsies in Europe

Sometimes called the Romanesque, gypsies who travel frequently are scattered all over the world. Over the recent decades, Europe has witnessed a boom in Gypsy artists who have introduced themselves to the literary world and had their rightful place in the European artistic and literary world. Gypsies’ hobo features allow them to borrow from the myths and culture of the host nations and eventually integrate them with their art, which is formed from their philosophical perspective about the world, in order to create an intercultural art using their inherent practices, such as extemporaneousness, instability and decorations. This current trend which is known as the art of gypsy has passed the modernization process in Europe and like other artistic currents is moving toward future. Besides examining this culture and introducing some of the contemporary gypsy artists in Europe, the present study looks deeper into the visual structure and the dominant elements of this art. Accordingly, their carriages and decorations can also be mainly divided into six major categories. In the visual works of the gypsy author Katarziyna Polak which are examined closely, recurring motifs such as gypsy wheel, guardian angels, goddess of Justice, hand and dragon are recognizable.