59. January Mistletoe [2020]

Ștefan Câlția assigns his characters a key spot on the canvas, allowing them to float in an infinite universe. The artist draws inspiration from the constructed stories of Pieter Bruegel and the complex compositions of Hieronymus Bosch, and moves towards unusual choices with small-scale characters that he places in a large space. Câlția's protagonists rise from the ground, hypnotised by the promise of a biased perspective. This time, we get to see the silhouette of a protagonist. With her eyes focused on a fixed point, the muse walks her long, brightly coloured skirt through the cold snow. The vibrant colours are also reflected in the other details of the costume, so that we can admire the blue-green tints in the outline of the blouse and the crown on the character's head. The purple backdrop and the illusion of snow bring back the atmosphere of a quiet winter day. Ștefan Câlția proposes to decipher his work through a double perspective. In the bottom plan, the protagonist is holding a small bunch of mistletoe and heading in an unknown direction. In the upper plan, arranged in a mirror, but no longer subject to conventional mimesis, we find an autonomy in the organisation of the vegetation and we glimpse, once again, the data necessary to compose a winter landscape. Through the mistletoe bouquet, the artist refers to the old Celtic tradition in which the plant was given healing powers and the attributes necessary to become a protective totem. Because mistletoe ventures to grow in an atypical climate, it has often been associated with divinity and tenacity. With a symbolism that resides in love, vitality, fertility or hope, the little plant ends up being hung in people's homes to keep away evil spirits and to bring good luck - hence the custom of kissing under mistletoe, meant to bring about the aforementioned. We could dare to believe, therefore, that the protagonist of the present work has embarked on an initiatory journey at the end of which she will find the home in which to hang the oar.

References

Povești cu/ stories with Ștefan Câlția', UNArte Publishing House, Bucharest, 2013.

Dimensions

width 65 cm, height 80 cm, custom 80 × 65 cm

Description

oil on canvas, signed and dated bottom left, in red, in monogram, 'Câlția, 2020'

Dating

2020

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