174. Constellation

For Horia Damian, crossing borders meant detachment from the native landscape. Once in Paris, the artist stands out through a personal tone, creating his own style, which is not defined by static natures or landscapes, but by the materiality of the painting and its architecture, which we observe in his dedicated series: "Pyramids", "Hill". In Paris, the artist arouses the interest of established artists such as Salvador Dali or Yves Klein. Horia Damian will start using his artistic talent to capture the complexity of human nature, trying to decode the secrets of human destiny through art. Horia Damian's art is based on intuitive search, yet there is an almost obsessive concern for materials, given his education in the architectural area. His references, despite the earthly materials, belong to the heavenly world, managing, with their help, to outline his own artistic creed around their hardness. Horia Damian outlines a work that is inspired by Mondrian's school. Damian will approach figures that require space in the 50s-60s, trying to unravel the mystery of forms through a language based on geometry, point, circle and sphere. From this creative stage belong a series of works such as "Soleil", "L'Etoile rouge". Seeking to capture special meanings, his work will be taken over by geometric figures, which will become the basis of the artist's creations. In the current work, "Constellation", Horia Damian takes over the symbol of the circle and transpose it onto his canvas, using a multitude of materials. The circle can symbolize the horizon of the known world or the eternity of given life, which is meant to continue. Thus, the cyclicity of the circle represents completeness and infinity. This work can also be compared to the sun, through the color chosen by the painter. Golden hues are vibrant, having their own life, beyond the frame of the painting. Horia Damian takes a universal symbol, and offers it its own aura of mystery, trying to introduce it to the viewer like the vital essence of life. The shape symbolizing the Divinity is the circle, thus, we find this symbol of perfection in all spiritually charged places. The artist's constructions are mechanisms that encapsulate cosmic events and energies, which is reflected in his unstable attempt to find the perfect form.

References

Exhibition Catalog "Horia Damian", National Museum of Contemporary Art, September-October 2009. VARIA, Radu, "Horia Damian. Works from Romanian museums and collections, 1930-1946", Official Monitor Publishing House, Bucharest, 2009.

Dimensions

width 47.5 cm, height 63 cm

Description

acrylic and resin on plywood

Research information

The artwork participated in the exhibition "Spirit and Solidarity. A plastic itinerary chosen by Dan Hăulică", Dialog gallery, 2016 and is reproduced in the exhibition catalog on page 17.

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