The exhibition is titled after one of the paintings, Girl in front of József Csató Painting. The painting depicts a character with a black bandana on her shoulders, the bandana has flower patterned embroidery in it that one can take for the traditional Hungarian folklore motifs. With a Csató painting in the background that had not been made until after this painting was finished, the existence of the painting in the back was inspired, in a paradox way, by the above mentioned one.
In the exhibition most of the oil-paintings are portraits, on some of them the figures are turned only half to the side, other times they are complete side-face pictures, while still other time the figures are not in the canvas. One can find this composition familiar just as the well-known icon of Csató, the cactus (Cactus-tamer) or the other Flowereater figure giving a slightly grotesque view.
His vision can be understood as a permanent value. He does not bother the audience with details that are irrelevant from the painter’s point of view since to understand the painting one does not need to know or see the features of the faces not even the whole image, one little detail of the figure is enough. The figures wearing a red mantle or a flower patterned bandana are as if they did not come from our world. As if they came from an imagined world where a person is interesting in themselves an icon. They are connected to the real with only by the melon, pot or guitar put next to them.
To understand József Csató’s oil-paintings and tint-drawing perhaps the best way is to play with the expression ‘travelling’. The characters in the exhibition can be known through a journey in the air, or in the mind or on the contrary a journey that has never happened (‘not travelling’). One of the paintings, titled the Pilot (female) was inspired by one of photographys of Amelie Earhart, who disappeared in mysterious consequences in the 1930s. The painting depicts a figure that was put together from a portrait of the pilot and private experience and impressions. The Stewardess can be mentioned here as well, where the uniform of the stewardess reminds the viewer to the Portuguese uniform as well as Earhart’s times. The artist is also inspired by the feeling of travelling, being around strangers, alien environment, or the memory of a holiday during childhood. In the works, Melons, Cactus-tamer or Moving subconsciously mix the feelings of closeness of friends and family with the people who pass by us in our everyday life.
It is worth taking part in the exhibition that offers us a multidimensional journey and afterwards maybe you can say with the artist:…. “I had a journey in the mind in winter”…..
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Here you can express yourself.