World Synthesis / Didactic Quadrilateral

— Štefan Balázs, Mária Balážová, Pavol Rusko, Adam Szentpétery —

The exhibition project by the Gallery of Spiš Artists presents the work of four of Slovakia’s most prominent practitioners of geometric painting who have also nurtured successive generations of young artists over the course of their extensive teaching careers. Their artistic techniques differ in terms of inspiration and formal approaches, but their work reveals a sense of consistency in terms of the evolution of geometrical art. The exhibition is presented as part of the Theme dramaturgical cycle of exhibitions. The project is supported with public funds from the Slovak Arts Council.

The exhibition Didactic Quadrilateral can be conceived as a metaphor for the contemporary understandings and practices of geometric art, a genre which is now an integral part of the current Slovak artistic context. The exhibition outlines the ongoing development of geometric abstraction as a dialectical process in which universal forms take on a specific shape, with the academic and pedagogical involvement of artists in this evolution contributing greatly towards a deeper understanding of the genre in the context of contemporary painting, both at a Slovak and international level.

The artists whose works feature in this exhibition each represent an individual approach to geometric expression, yet they are all united through their similar starting points and a shared fascination with geometric principles. The work of Štefan Balázs draws on his belief that geometry can be conceived as an organising principle for the world as a whole. His art reflects upon the counsel of Modernism and contemporary Abstractionism, with geometry serving as a structural framework for exploring the dimensions of time and space. Balázs reduces geometrical forms to their basic elements as a means of formulating rules which order form and space. In this approach, geometrical abstraction is not a mere play on shapes but is instead a means of uncovering the deepest structures of reality, an exploration of the concept of a universal visual language. Mária Balážová has revitalised the concept of geometric abstraction by positing it as a metaphorical and emotional space in which she can reflect upon personal and social issues relating to women, work and identity. In her conceptual understanding, geometric shapes take on the role of symbolic gestures which critique gender inequality and patriarchal structures. Her work builds upon the ideas of post-geometric painting, with phenomenological experience being combined with space and the body to generate a sense of tension between fixed structures and the dynamism of individual perception. The product of many years of work, her Snake Geometry cycle introduced the phenomenon of semantic geometry to the Slovak scene. The sense of rhythm and intuitive mercuriality that Pavol Rusko brings to the geometric system results in paintings that evoke movement and transience within a strictly determined geometric framework. His work oscillates between the principles of mathematical precision and a poetry of organic changes which reflect the dynamism of the contemporary world. The elements of repetition and symmetry are the key compositional tools in Rusko’s work. The repeated use of geometric motifs generates a rhythmic effect, while symmetrical arrangements grant the compositions a sense of balance and evoke references to metaphysical principles. Adam Szentpétery uses linear precision and sophisticated colour harmonies as a means of synthesizing form and meaning, a style which can be seen as existing on a continuum connecting Modernist approaches, contemporary trends in geometric painting and op art. His works emerge through the creation of complex visual structures founded on rhythmic repetitions of horizontals, verticals and diagonals which create tension and visual frequency. Resembling optical illusions in 3D space, his large-scale circles reflect the intersection between traditional principles and modern technologies. Szentpétery combines mathematical logic and emotional resonance to form a visual poetry of timelessness.

Mgr. art. Katarína Balúnová, ArtD., exhibition curator