Janusz Orbitowski was a student of Adam Marczynski at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kracow. His oeuvre focused on geometric abstraction and the exploration of space, light and movement. His body of work is made up of different cycles devoted to the solution of specific ‘problems’. His works mostly consist of squares and rectangles which mark out areas of gradual change in tone or saturation of colour. Through the moves of brighter or darker tones, geometric arrangements are outlined, and the use of optical illusions like irradiation evoke the impression of relief convexities.

Three dimensionality entered Orbitowski’s work very early on and remained a characteristic feature. As in the present work, he would typically produce reliefs by gluing square or rectangular pieces in layers so that they rise in tiers from the surface of the background, thus imbuing the works with a kind of structured dynamism.