The Attempt to Catch Time or Visual Poetry and Philosophy of István Horkay (Hungary)
Using possibilities of computer technologies for creation his digital collages the guest of THE SECRETS OF PERFECTION, István Horkay (b. 1945) combines details of old pictures, images, photographs, signatures, commercial logos, writings, documents, stamps, etc. Synthesis of such different elements in hundreds of layers expresses a single moment reflecting different places and times.An example of simultaneous representation of time, of time squeezed into a moment we find in Rembrandt’s Prodigal Son (Time and Space in Painting). Rembrandt does not show some one moment from Bible story, but he squeezes the long action into one scene in such way: the father still is in state of embracing; the Prodigal Son does the motion of next moment going down on his knees; the elder son (who must return when a calf will be butchered and dances will take place) already here and he stands on the right.
István Horkay's time is more complicated and abstruse. He takes not a coherent known story, but some period of history, he watches changes of life of big towns, watches developments of globalization, confronts different facts of history and creates his own story.
István Horkay has academic basis of European and partly Hungarian art traditions, he studied in Budapest, Cracow, Copenhagen, Denmark, again in Budapest and received diplomas in graphic arts, painting, and film animation. Long studies and obstinate work made him a virtuoso of art techniques. Some art critics descry propinquity of his collages to photography of Budapest school, which is still known as one of the best classic schools of mastering sunlight in sunlight studios. I descry also some influence of father of Hungarian painting school Michaly Munkácsy, one of most fascinating European painters of the 19th century. Some bent for visual narration, so characteristic play of white dabs on dark backgrounds inherent for both Munkácsy and Horkay. Though Horkay's works are more aristocratic, colorless, intricate, lost touch with reality, Horkay creates his collages calmly, without hate, love or irony. As if dreaming. By some features (fluency, weightlessness) Horkay's art works are closer to rococo art (Antoine Watteau, William Hogart, François Boucher).
The author himself calls his work post modern pop art, a continuation of direction of Erro, Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Jones Allen, Ramos Mell. Post modern pop art of Horkay is more sublime, poetic and intellectual than pop art of the sixth decade of the 20th century. In place of by haphazard collected familiar images of the popular culture such as billboards, comic strips, magazine advertisements, cans, parts of cars and their mechanic copies in pop art, elements of Horkay's collages are more spiritual, deliberated and coherent. By its solidity and profundity István Horkay's art rises over pop art's kitsch.
Jurate Macnoriute
One day of Mrs Houdini, digital collages 60 X 50cm, 2003
The last tango in Berlin Alexanderplatz, Digital collages 120 x 48cm, 2003
Copyright © István Horkay,
Copyright © 2003, THE SECRETS OF PERFECTION
