February 2003
article
VISUAL ART, February the 5th 2003
Other Worlds.
Tana Zitnanova, graphic artist, painter and illustrator, never belonged to
persons performing exhibitions at any cost. The reason is not that she would
consider public presentation of artist something less important, it's because
she set out thesis every exhibition should have the idea and meaning, e.g.
content, charge and message. Such were her monographic exhibitions in and around
Bratislava (such as in Mojmirovce) or abroad (in Czech Republic, in Moravia, in
Austria). Such was her last presentation in Cafe Parlamentka by Bratislava
Castle. She compiled it herself and presented selection of paintings, acryls,
oil-paintings and combined techniques, from last two years, most of works from
year 2002.
Zitnanova graduated from Art University Bratislava, on department of graphics and book illustration under Professor Albin Brunovsky. She made a "risk" this time and presented to publics work you cann't "buy for cheap". They in no means play up to tastes of common consumer of art, on the other hand these are not works stylized into position of "serious, absolutely specific and hard to understand" art, followed only by handful of chosen. Zitnanova is artist from different dough. She consider art as something created for leaving a mark in consciousness. Her pictures are sensitive bearers of own conscience, human existence, of soul with it's hidden secrets. These secrets come to light after facing the reality, otherwise they would lost the justification. They would lost the urge to speak, to address, to advocate and wait for answer, even with taking a risk of being misunderstand. This was artist's intention and so it was during history of art nearly always. I mean during history of real, genuine and authentic art, art always marked by stamp of legacy. Zitnanova understands the premise. It's not an easy way she chose, though art - Zitnanova feels that - is serious matter indeed, on the other hand playful and joyful. Even if it's not liked permanently.
How does such a art look like? Zitnanova performs her artstyle pragmatically and rationally while sensitively. She remembers the smell of genuine dreams, dreams of explorers as well as smell of balladic continents of human soul from years of childhood and youth hood. What captivated her interest before, she kept in her mind till nowadays. That includes eternal desire to fly with Leonardo's wings as well as to puzzle magic world of experiences from the most profound and most ordinary things. Such are her paintings - recollections of old house, sky full of falling autumn leaves, strange stone, shell on a seashore, as well as fairy creatures, arcane masks, twisted imaginations of creatures resembling heritage of primeval artistic cultures of native nations.
Siblings to that pictures are other one, which evocate different feelings. They posture as monochromes, usually in blue color, with obvious decorative accent. They present natural, spontaneously formulated antipole of her former works created by expressive uniform handling of the brush. The second group are paintings resembling calligrams, created with emphasis on line and plain. Content seems to be encoded at a first sight, however it's not difficult to read the message through symbols. They constitute symbols of basic desires such as communication, presenting messages and missions, sometimes using disturbing ways. Defile of quasi - rustical masks, faces, archaic forms, animal and figural forms, cats and combined compositions of labyrinths or crossing never-ending lines, magnetizing viewer with magic of "blue deeps". There is a sense of discreet imagination, unobtrusive, silently occupying our conscious, in one case slowly and whispering, in other suddenly and abruptly showing it's poetical face, without allowing us to identify the source of it. These are the worlds full of imagination. Suffice is to take a think.
- LUBOMIR PODUSEL -