Ulise al lui Alexandru Rãdvan
retractilitãþii ironic-parodice nu este decât vag activatã în context. Confruntarea cu
Existã un timp al lui Ulise, în lecturile ºi
adversitãþile, antrenamentul sportiv
imaginarul nostru. Pentru unii, mulþi,
dezvoltã un “discurs” care devine o
fereastra cãtre eroul lui Homer, zis ºi
pledoarie pentru robusteþea corporalã a
Odiseu, se deschide ºi se închide în
atletului antic, iar prin extensie, a celui
copilãrie/adolescenþã. Pentru alþii, puþini,
dintotdeauna. Imaginea acestei
Ulise devine un tovar㺠de drum pe
corporalitãþi triumfãtoare este esenþializatã
termen lung. Este vorba despre acei
ºi, în fapt¸ sporitã de un calculat
oameni, creatori de text/imagine, pentru
“primitivism” al structurãrii formale.
care Odiseu se transformã în simbolul
Ulise apare în ipostaze ºi din unghiuri
Drumeþului cãutãtor al Cunoaºterii,
diverse, identitatea facialã este variabilã.
Învingãtorul prin forþa inteligenþei dar ºi
Sunt însã destule cazuri când percepem o
prin cea fizicã, dacã o cer circumstanþele...
siluetã vãzutã din spate, cel mult cu capul
Ulise împinge limitele dialogului cu lumea,
întors în profil... Odiseu devine aºadar un
pe diversele ei paliere, luptã pentru a
personaj generic, un reper uman tipologic.
garanta constanþa unor calitãþi umane.
Chiar ºi reprezentãrile frontal-faciale ating
James Joyce a demonstrat cã mitul rezistã
un grad sporit de generalitate. Ceva
ºi în modernitate, cã Ulysses nu se
încãlzeºte, totuºi, aceste portrete
rãtãceºte nici în secolul XX, dimpotrivã.
paradoxal depersonalizate: uneori un soi
Alexandru Rãdvan transformã unul din
de exaltare modularã a trãsãturilor, alteori
reperele sale preferate de lecturã, de
“cuibul” haºurilor colorate care definesc un
întoarcere la Antichitate ºi la mit, într-un
chip – aceste observaþii privesc mai ales
adevãr pluriform al artei contemporane.
lucrãrile realizate în 2012 în pastel gras.
Lumea lui Ulise îl ademenea încã din anii
În contextul datelor stilistice de
studenþiei. Ea a revenit în prim-planul
ansamblu, în opinia noastrã, specificitãþile
sensibilitãþii ºi atenþiei sale spre finalul
de “vocabular” imagistic ale lui Alexandru
primului deceniu al noului mileniu.
Rãdvan provin ºi din inspirata confluenþã a
Regãsirea acestui Erou se traduce si prin
unor “ecouri” diferite între ele. Acestea se
(re)descoperirea reprezentãrii genuine a
“topesc” într-un coerent ton
atributelor masculinitãþii. Nuanþa
particularizant, fãrã ca elementele care îl
compun sã fie, fiecare, neapãrat, brand
de sintezã formalã pe care o etaleazã în
new. În cazul universului tematic Ulise, cel
operã Alexandru Rãdvan, pentru
puþin în ce priveºte desenele în pastel, ne
sensibilitatea artistului faþã de textura
gândim mai ales la ecouri ale
materialului în care lucreazã ºi abilitatea
Transavanguardiei hrãnite ºi de exemple
de a o pune în valoare.
greceºti ºi romane antice. Pictura propriu-
Alexandru Rãdvan îmi mãrturisea cã
zisã confirmã dimensiunea
agreeazã din ce în ce mai mult lucrul în
neoexpresionistã (cu posibile “ingerinþe”
volum ºi “lupta” cu materialul; faptul
italiene).
plastic devine un fel de picturã/desen în
Pe de altã parte, “portretele” grupate în seria transformabilã în instalaþie, de
3D... Fragmentele narative care se ataºeazã
monotipuri în tuº pe calc (“Oamenii lui
“marii povestiri” dedicate lui Ulise, i se
Ulise”, 2011), sunt la rândul lor
reveleazã artistului ºi se transformã în
tulburãtoare: aceste chipuri, cu expresii
imagini în împrejurãri cel mai adesea
diverse, se înfãþiºeazã ca niºte “amprente”
nespectaculoase. Inspiraþia se
ale unor diferite stãri ale umanului,
declanºeazã, nu rareori, în mediul familial.
reprezentãri neoexpresioniste ºi ele,
În definitiv, nu înseamnã Odiseea
configurate prin intermediul petelor de
“întoarcerea acasã” în orice limbã a
culoare. Par, totodatã, glose pe tema
planetei?
raportului între prezenþã ºi absenþã. Sculpturile realizate cu ajutorul armãturii metalice, pânzei ºi pigmenþilor, se afirmã ca exemple accentuat neoexpresioniste (unele), pornind de la deja identificata tipologie a primitivismului, cãreia i se adaugã date ale unei “arheologizante” viziuni de tip body in pieces. Intervenþiile picturale potenþeazã “spectacolul” atitudinal. Reliefurile în lemn sau în ciment depun ºi ele mãrturie pentru capacitatea de sintezã formalã pe care o etaleazã în
Adrian Guþã
Alexandru Rãdvan Ulyssese
évtizedének vége felé újra visszatért érzékenysége és figyelme középpontjába.
Olvasmányainkban és képzeletünkben
Ennek a hõsnek az újrafelfedezését többek
Ulyssesnek külön ideje van. Egyesek, elég
között úgy fordítja mûvészetté, hogy
sok ember, a Homérosz Odüsszeusznak is
(újra)felfedezi a maszkulinitás
nevezett hõsét csak gyerek- és
tulajdonságainak zsigeri ábrázolását. Az
kamaszkorukban ismerik: az elsõ
ironikus-parodikus visszahúzódás
idõszakban találkoznak vele, a másodikban
árnyalatát csak vázlatosan mûködteti. Az
elbúcsúznak tõle. Mások, kevesen, hosszú
ellenfelekkel és nehézségekkel való
lejáratú barátságot ápolnak vele. Azokról a
küzdés, a sportos edzés olyan “diskurzust”
szöveg- vagy képalkotókról van szó, akik
fejleszt ki, amely az ókori atléta, s
számára Odüsszeusz a Megismerést keresõ
kiterjesztés révén a mindenkori atléta
Vándor jelképévé válik, az intelligencia, de
dicséretévé válik. Ennek a diadalmaskodó
ha a körülmények azt kívánják, a fizikai
testiségnek a képét a lényegre egyszerûsíti
erõ révén is Diadalmaskodóvá… Ulysses
és “felgyarapítja” a formális struktúra
tovább feszíti a világgal való párbeszéd
átgondolt “primitivizmusával”.
korlátait, a világ különbözõ “emeletein”
Ulysses különbözõ helyzetekben és
gyakorolja kíváncsiságát és értelmét, azért
szögekbõl ábrázolódik, arca is változik.
küzd, hogy bizonyos emberi kvalitások
Elég gyakori azonban, hogy hátulról látjuk,
tartós mivoltát biztosítsa. James Joyce
legfeljebb profilból… Odüsszeusz tehát
bebizonyította, hogy a mítosz a
általános, tipikus emberi személyiség lesz.
modernitásban is aktuális, hogy Ulysses a
Még a szembõli ábrázolások is nagyfokú
XX. században sem téved el, éppen
általánosságot hordoznak. Valami
ellenkezõleg.
mégiscsak melegíti ezeket a paradox
Alexandru Rãdvan nem tesz mást, mint
módon elszemélytelenedett portrékat:
hogy egyik kedvenc olvasmányát, mely
olykor a vonások eltúlzása, máskor a
által visszatér az Ókorhoz és a mítoszhoz,
színes satírozás “fészke”, amely
a kortárs mûvészet sokféle és számtalan
meghatároz egy arcot – ezek a
formájú igazságává változtatja. Ulysses
megfigyelések elsõsorban azokra a
világa már diákéveitõl kezdve
mûvekre vonatkoznak, melyek 2012-ben
foglalkoztatta, és az új évezred elsõ
készültek darabos pasztellszínekkel
megfestve.
hangsúlyozottam expresszionista
Ami most már az általában vett stilisztikai
vonásokkal telítettek, s a primitivizmus
adatokat illeti, véleményem szerint
immár azonosított tipológiájából indulnak
Alexandru Rãdvan képi “szókincsének”
ki, melyhez body in pieces-típusú
sajátosságai abból is származik, hogy
“régészeti” látásmód jegyei járulnak. A
ihletetten egybedolgozott bizonyos
festõi beavatkozások az attitûd-beli
egymástól különbözõ “hatásokat”. Ezek
“elõadást” teszik lehetõvé. A fából és
egy mindent partikulárissá tevõ tónusban
cementbõl készült dombormûvek szintén
“olvadnak össze”, anélkül, hogy a
arról a formális szintézisképességrõl
különbözõ összetevõk mindegyike
árulkodnak, amelyet Alexandru Rãdvan
feltétlenül mai lenne.Az Ulysses tematikájú
mûve tanúsít, a mûvész érzékenységérõl
univerzum esetében, legalábbis, ami a
annak az anyagnak a textúráját illetõen,
pasztellrajzokat illeti, elsõsorban a
amellyel dolgozik és arról a képességérõl,
Transavanguardia hatására gondolok,
amellyel mondani tud valamit általa.
melyeket görög és római példák is
Alexandru Rãdvan bevallotta nekem, hogy
befolyásoltak. Maga a festés módja
egyre jobban szereti a nagy tömegû
expresszionizmust is hordoz (olasz
anyagot s a vele való küzdelmet; a
“fuvallatokkal”).
plasztika egyfajta 3D-ben megalkotott
Másfelõl az installációra váltható
festménnyé-rajzzá válik…
portrésorozat, a pauszpapírra rajzolt
Az Ulyssesnek szentelt “nagy
monotípusok (Ulysses emberei, 2011) a
elbeszéléshez” tartozó narratív részletek
maguk során szintén felkavaróak: ezek a
“megjelennek” a mûvész elõtt és
változatos kifejezést hordozó arcok úgy
legtöbbször kevéssé látványos
jelennek meg, mint különbözõ emberi
körülmények között alakulnak át képekké.
állapotok “ujjlenyomatai”, expresszionisták
Az ihlet nem is ritkán családi körben “indul
ezek is, a színfoltok révén felvázoltak.
be”. Végsõ soron mit jelent az Odüsszeia a
Ugyanakkor a jelenlét–hiány közötti
világ bármely nyelvén, ha nem azt:
viszony margójára rajzolt etüdöknek
“hazatérés”?
tûnnek. A fém, vászon és festékanyag segítségével
Adrian Guþã
megformált szobrok közül néhányan
Fordította: Demény Péter
The Ulysses of Alexandru Rãdvan
and attention at the end of the first decade of the new millenium.
Both in our readings and in our
He transforms the rediscovery of this hero
imagination, Ulysses has different periods
into art by (re)discovering of the visceral
of time. Some of us, most of the people
depiction of masculinity. He operates the
know the hero of Homer named Odysseus
shade of the ironical-parodical withdrawal
in their childhood and in their adolescence:
only schematically. Struggling with
they meet him in the first, the say
opponents and other difficulties, this
goodbye to him in the later. Others, only a
athletic training develops a 'discourse' that
few, tend to keep a long-running
becomes the praise of the ancient – and
friendship with him. I am talking about the
by extension – the universal athlete. He
text and image-creators for whom
simplifies the image of this triumphant
Odysseus becomes the Wayfairer seeking
corporeality to its substance and he
Cognition and a Triumphant through
'upgrades' this with the deliberate
intellect and – if it's required – through
'primitivism' of formal structure.
physical strength... Ulysses keeps straining
Ulysses is depicted in different situations
the barriers of the dialogues with the
from different angles, his face changes
world, he practices his curiosity and
constantly. However, we frequently see
intellect on the different 'levels' of the
him from back or at most in a profile
world, he fights to ensure the durability of
view... and so Odysseus becomes a
some human qualities. James Joyce
general, typical human personality. Even
proved that myth is actual even in
his frontwise depictions carry a great deal
modernity and that Ulysses doesn't get
of generality. Nevertheless, something
lost in the 20th century, on the contrary.
warms these paradoxically impersonified
Alexandru Rãdvan does nothing else but
portraits: sometimes the exaggeration of
turns his favourite reading – by which he
features, sometimes the 'nest' of color
returns to the antiquity and myth – into
shading which determines a face – but
the many-sided and many-formed truth of
these observations can be related to the
contemporary art. He was interested in the
works he made in 2012 using lumpy pastel
world of Ulysses in his student years and
coloring.
this returned to the center of his sensibility
Considering the general stylistical data, I
think that the nature of Alexandru
associated with the features of this body in
Rãdvan's pictorial 'vocabulary' derives
pieces-like archaelogical view. The
from the fact that he inspirationally
interventions of the painter make the
combined some completely different
attitudical 'presentation' possible. The
'effects'. These effects are merged in a
reliefs made of wood and cement also
tone that makes everything particular,
reveal that formal capability for synthesis
even if not all its components are modern.
that is testified by the whole artwork of
In case of the Ulysses-universe,
Alexandru Rãdvan, the sensibility of the
concerning the pastel drawings, I am
artist concerning the texture of the
thinking here to the effect of
material that he is working with, and the
Transavanguardia, which was influenced by
ability of saying something by the use of
Greek and Roman examples, even the
material.
mode of the painting carries the influence
Alexandru Rãdvan once admitted to me
of expressionism (with Italian
that he likes the material of great mass
'impressions').
and the struggle with it more and more;
On the other hand, the portrait series that
plasticism becomes a kind of a painting-
can be viewed as an installation, the
drawing created in 3D...
mono-types drawn on tracing paper (The
The narrative details dedicated to Ulysses
men of Ulysses, 2011) are also disturbing
and belonging to 'the great narrative' just
in their own way: these faces with diverse
happen to 'appear' in front of the artist
expressions are depicted as 'fingerprints'
and they transform into images not under
of different human conditions, these are
very spectacular circumstances in most
also expressionists outlined by colorspots.
cases. So many times, inspiration is
They seem to be etudes drawn on the
'turned on' in a family environment. After
margin of the relationship between
all, what does Odyssey mean in any
presence and absence.
language of the world, if not
Out of the sculptures created with the use
'homecoming'?
of metal, linen and paint, some are saturated with emphasis with expressionist features and they start from the already identified typology of primitivism which is
Adrian Guþã Translated by Elõd Márton
Alexandru RÃDVAN Date and place of birth: May16th 1977, Bucharest, Romania www.radvanpainting.blogspot.com Education: 1996 – 2000 Bucharest University of Art Solo shows: 2011 - “The Heart”, installation at Abbaye de Neumünster, Luxembourg, curated by Didier Damiani 2011 - “Christ”, Anaid Art Gallery, Bucharest 2009 - “Wond'ring aloud”, Anaid Art Gallery, Bucharest 2008 - „Zeus & Europa”, Calina Gallery, Timiºoara 2008 - „Huldigung des Judas & der Kreuzfahrer ”(Hommage to Judas & The crusaders), LWL – Industriemuseum Westfaliches Landesmuseum fur Industriekultur Henrichshutte, Hattingen, Germany 2007 – “Memories of Constantine”, Anaid Art in collaboration with Cluj-Napoca Art Museum, Cluj-Napoca Art Museum, Cluj-Napoca 2007 – “Cancer”, Anaid Art Gallery, Bucharest 2007 – “Memories of Constantine”, Curtea Veche, Bucharest 2006 – “Sol Victus”, U.A.P. Gallery, Bistriþa 2006 – “Sol Victus”, Casa Matei Gallery, Cluj-Napoca 2005 – International Action Art Center / UNESCO, Athens, Piraeus, Greece 2005 – “Soma”, Anaid Art Gallery, Bucharest 2005 – “Taurobolii”, Palatele Brancovenesti Culture Centre, Bucuresti 2003 – “Imperatores. Fragments”, H'Art Gallery/ UNA Gallery, Bucharest 2003 – “Drawings for Petronius”, Posibila Gallery, Bucharest 2001 – “Heroes”, UNAgaleria, Bucharest 2001 – “12 images told by Alexandru Radvan”, ArtJazz Club, Bucharest 2000 – “Anatomy of the landscape”, 35 Atelier, Bucharest
Lista lucrarilor / List of the artworks Seria Atletice I., pastel gras pe hârtie, 72x51cm, 2012 Athletic Series I., oily pastel on paper, 72x51cm, 2012 Seria Atletice II., pastel gras pe hârtie, 72x51cm, 2012 Athletic Series II., oily pastel on paper, 72x51cm, 2012 Seria Atletice IV., pastel gras pe hârtie, 72x51cm, 2012 Athletic Series IV., oily pastel on paper, 72x51cm, 2012 Seria Atletice V., pastel gras pe hârtie, 72x51cm, 2012 Athletic Series V., oily pastel on paper, 72x51cm, 2012 Seria Atletice VI., pastel gras pe hârtie, 72x51cm, 2012 Athletic Series VI., oily pastel on paper, 72x51cm, 2012 Seria Atletice VII., pastel gras pe hârtie, 72x51cm, 2012 Athletic Series VII., oily pastel on paper, 72x51cm, 2012 Seria Atletice VIII., pastel gras pe hârtie, 72x51cm, 2012 Athletic Series VIII., oily pastel on paper, 72x51cm, 2012 Seria Atletice IX., pastel gras pe hârtie, 72x51cm, 2012 Athletic Series IX., oily pastel on paper, 72x51cm, 2012 Seria Atletice III., pastel gras pe hârtie, 72x51cm, 2012 Athletic Series III., oily pastel on paper, 72x51cm, 2012
Oamenii lui Ulise I., monotipie (tuº pe hârtie de calc), 42x30cm, 2011 People of Ulysses I., monotype (ink on tracing paper), 42x30cm, 2011 Oamenii lui Ulise III., monotipie (tuº pe hârtie de calc), 42x30cm, 2011 People of Ulysses III., monotype (ink on tracing paper), 42x30cm, 2011 Oamenii lui Ulise IV., monotipie (tuº pe hârtie de calc), 42x30cm, 2011 People of Ulysses IV., monotype (ink on tracing paper), 42x30cm, 2011 Oamenii lui Ulise V., monotipie (tuº pe hârtie de calc), 42x30cm, 2011 People of Ulysses V., monotype (ink on tracing paper), 42x30cm, 2011 Alexandru Rãdvan - Oamenii lui Ulise, instalatie 45 de monotipii (tuº pe hârtie de calc), 42x30cm, 2011 Alexandru Rãdvan - People of Ulysses, installation of 45 monotips (ink on tracing paper), 42x30cm, 2011 Oamenii lui Ulise VI., monotipie (tuº pe hârtie de calc), 42x30cm, 2011 People of Ulysses VI., monotype (ink on tracing paper), 42x30cm, 2011 Peºtera lui Polifem, acrilic pe pânzã nepreparatã, 277x154cm, 2012 Cave of Polyphemus, acrylic on unprepared canvas 277x154cm, 2012 Ulise ºi Sirenele, tehnica mixtã: armaturã metalicã; pânzã ºi pigmenþi, 2011 Ulysses and the Sirens, mixed technique: metal armatures, canvas and pigments, 2011 Troia, tehnica mixtã: armaturã metalicã; pânzã ºi pigmenþi, 2009-2011 Troy, mixed technique: metal armatures, canvas and pigments, 2009-2011 Fãrã titlu, lemn de brad pictat cu culori vinilice, 2011 Untitled, pine wood painted with vinyl color, 2011