My name is András István Szabó. I was born in Budapest in 1978. I have not got a degree in arts, but I attended several art courses in Hungary, which means I am not completely self-taught. I teach art for a living.
In connection with my uploaded pictures, I have highlighted some thoughts that are characteristic of the works.
First, I made paper engravings of buildings in Budapest that looked ugly, repulsive, maybe scary, but for some reason still interesting to me. I called them paper houses. The graphics were both illusionistic and revealing: Because of the line perspective, they were three-dimensional images. The templates, however, were bent back and forth randomly during printing, thus revealing the reality: that they were just templates made of paper. Thus I found very interesting connections among the image and reality, the process of creation and the tools used for creation. Later, I started to expand my toolbox and used everything I could get my hands on as a template: masking tape, tree bark.
An important element of my images is that I always build them of layers. I find it much more exciting if a surface already has a history. The layers were formed naturally at first. I always repainted my pictures when I found a mistake. I realized, what was once painted cannot be be completely eliminated. The lower layers leave important traces, which can be seen in the upper layers, but together they make an incredibly exciting impression. I realized that the clean canvas disturbs me.
The formation of the overall picture of the layers is ultimately random. I started looking for ways I could bring about this so that it does not seem artificial. I was looking for the right balance between the random and the conscious control. I tried printing on different materials. I let the paint run, drip and splash. I began to realize how important the paint, the material itself, was to me. I immersed myself in the process as if in a game. I realized that this game, in which anything can happen, is that really excites me.
They mean honesty to me, the chance to be myself. I have developed for myself a manner of creation, a framework which perfectly adapts to my everyday life. Because of my duties, I usually can spend little time in the studio, therefore it is important for me to be focused. That is why I paint layers, because it fits in a few hours, and by the time I return to it in 2 days, the previous layer will have dried and I can paint the next one. This requires self-control because I want to see the picture as soon as possible, however, I can not do that. Templates confine me. Yet, I can be myself within these limits. These two poles create the tension that will make my gestures stronger and more sincere.
At first I was searching for my motifs very forcedly, by now I may be able to break away from it more and more. Smaller and smaller and seemingly less and less significant things can set off the creative process in me. I realized that this process expresses me and, if I do it well enough, I get closer to myself step by step. It is like a diary. The other thing I realized is that if I simplify the motifs, I notice more interrelations.
The Infinite Building
I asked myself, whether it is possible to finish a painting at all? The “Infinite” series is symbolic in this sense. It is about being invigorated by the process, the struggle to always discover something new. The search for the perfect painting and for the illusion of the perfect composition is what keeps me in motion. I wanted to paint a picture that never ends in time and space, and which can be freely continued indefinitely. This movement may be the key to eternal existence. The building is a very complex symbol and is closely connected to man. It means human culture, for me specifically the human path-finding, which never ends. It was here that the thoughts I described above began to crystallize in me, so I consider these images to be a very important stage in my work. Painters often destroy their previous works when they feel they have painted “The Big Picture”. I can not do this, since a diary should not be destroyed. I consider the house templates used in the workflow to be works equivalent to paintings.
There was a change of scale here because I started painting on a larger scale. And the tools have changed, too. I used a paint roller, which gave the painting a very special surface and made my gestures freer. Here I did not look for symbolism any more. I got the basic experience of the pictures during a hike in the high mountains as I gazed from a grazing at a mountainside in front of me. I feel like with this series, I have taken a step towards infinite painting, but I have not got to the end yet.
contact/komment:
szaboudvary@gmail.com