groteski

Groteski is a term used in Polish to refer to grotesque forms in art, architecture, and literature, and is the same as the English term grotesque. The concept originates from Italian grottesco, named for decorative frescoes found in grotto-like rooms during the Renaissance—the grotteschi decorating those interiors gave rise to the term. In Polish usage, groteski encompasses both visual distortions and satirical, uncanny elements.

In visual arts and architecture, groteski describe ornamental motifs that combine human, animal, and imaginary features in hybrid forms, often rendered with exaggerated anatomy, spiraling arabesques, and fantastical creatures. They appear on stucco, reliefs, gargoyles, and villa decorations, functioning both as decoration and social commentary.

In literature, the grotesque denotes a mode that blends the humorous with the horrific, the familiar with the uncanny, to provoke ambiguity and discomfort. It has flourished from Renaissance grotto painting through Romantic, Gothic, and modernist works. Writers associated with grotesque aesthetics include E. T. A. Hoffmann, Nikolai Gogol, and Franz Kafka, among others; folk traditions likewise feature transformative figures and uncanny hybrids.