Vladiana Ghiulvessi
Vladiana Ghiulvessi, born in 1994 in Baia Mare, Romania, lives and works in Baia Mare. For more information, visit Jecza Gallery's website.
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In one sentence: What is Concrete Art for me?
Essence, silence and peace.
Do I see myself as a representative of Concrete Art?
I deeply resonate with some principles and ideas of Concrete Art, but I cannot say that I am 100% a representative of Concrete Art.
Who is my favorite artist in the field of Concrete Art? Which position in Concrete Art was particularly formative or impressive for me? Which pioneers of Concrete Art do I see as role models?
I can't choose just one artist from this artistic movement, but I can name a few of them who marked my artistic approach: Theo van Doesburg, Sophie Taeuber-Arp, Jean Arp, Piet Mondrian, Josef Albers, Camille Graeser and the early works of Frank Stella.
What was my first contact with Concrete Art?
I studied art history during high school and learned about the period of minimalists and abstract geometric art, but at the time it didn't have an effect on my artistic direction. Years later, I had the opportunity to live for a year in Paris, where of course I immersed myself in the world of art museums. There, at Centre Pompidou, I saw Concrete Art in reality for the first time. I remember that in a huge room a work by Frank Stella from his early career was exhibited, I passed by it many times until one day I got stuck contemplating the work for a long time. Those deep moments of contemplation on the work opened up new artistic horizons for me. I have always felt that abstraction is my artistic language, but after that encounter with Frank Stella's work I found a world to belong to. After that moment I started to really see the works of the artists like Piet Mondrian, Theo van Doesburg, Sophie Taeuber-Arp, Jean Arp, László Moholy-Nagy.
Have the early days of Concrete Art had a direct influence on my own work as an artist?
I was definitely influenced by the work of artists who were part of Constructivism, De Stijl, Neo-Plasticism and the Bauhaus School. I think that sometimes artists should explore and deepen some ideas that already exist in art and not just always look for new ideas that have not been seen before.
Which principles of Concrete Art have shaped my artistic approach most?
The idea that influenced me the most and was the basis of the development of Concrete Art, is that the work of art should not refer to anything other than itself and it should not represent external reality in any way. As van Doesburg said in Basis of Concrete Painting: "a pictorial element has no meaning other than 'itself', and therefore the painting has no meaning other than 'itself'".
Color, form, or line? Which fundamental form of artistic expression from Concrete Art is most important to me?
Hmm, hard to say because at the moment I can't imagine my art without these three basic elements. However, I believe that form is the most important element in my creative process. I say this because every time I create new works, the shape appears first in my mind and then the line. Sometimes these elements appear even simultaneously. After the shape and line have been chosen, the color appears in the composition of the work.
The manifestos of the pioneers of Concrete Art are for me
- Long-since outdated
- As valid as ever today x
- Much too dogmatic
- Of no relevance at all
- Pioneering for their time x
- Still a source of inspiration x
- Not radical enough
- Other assessments:
On the hundredth anniversary: Where do I see Concrete Art in another hundred years?
- The movement within fine art that sets the tone
- No longer recognizable as a clearly distinguishable art movement of its own
- Still of great importance x
- In forms and media that cannot be predicted yet
- Other assessments:
And? Is the term Concrete Art still necessary (at all)?
I think that Concrete Art is needed today more than ever; these days, our mind is so crowded and always busy, so cloudy. For me, Concrete Art means order, tranquility, and peace. You can very easily follow a line, appreciate it. It is a very simple and yet very complex element at the same time, just like the point, the circle, or the square, they are basic elements in the construction of this world. I consider them of sublime beauty.
Translated from German.