Golden mud
Csilléry Orsolya’s art is mainly distinguished by the meticulous crafting of her images, the use of special graphic techniques, and the cultivation of Hungarian artistic and intellectual traditions. Her work is influenced by the traditional art of Hungarian shepherds and the realm of beliefs and treasury of motifs reposited in folk tales. She completed her higher education at the Hungarian University of Fine Arts, specializing in printmaking, and at the Scuola Internazionale di Grafica in Venice, specializing in artist’s book techniques.
The title of the exhibition allows for numerous interpretations in light of the artist’s oeuvre. In the old Hungarian language, the word sárarany referred to pure, solid gold, that is, yellow (sár[ga]) gold (arany). It denotes the state of the gold nugget before it is worked, the way it exists in nature when it is found in the earth or a stream. In other words, the designation of the material is an analogy to the process of creating an artwork, since the material becomes a creation, an art object through the work done on it. At the same time, the part sár (meaning mud in itself) of the word sárga (yellow), referring to a state of the earth or soil, is also intriguing for the artist as a substance that, compared to gold, is worthless, yet deep in the forest, complete with fallen branches and leaves, forms a living matter, humus, which is indispensable to the life and death of natural beings. Therefore, in this context, it also carries the meaning of transience. Of course, one can also look at the subtle collision of these two materials within the word composition as the two extremes of the scale of materiality.
Our exhibition primarily features landscapes inspired by the countryside surrounding Rome and in the Carpathian Basin. These works were created mostly with colored pencil over a watercolor underpainting, their large size conferring a special atmosphere on them. In addition to the habitual color schemes of landscape representations, she boldly uses shades of yellow and purple to color the sky or the ground. The main organizing principle of these landscape portraits is the motif of the tree, both as a component of the forest and as a designed landscape element in a man-made garden. These images can also be construed as mental maps where human and cosmic scales can be presented at the same time.
Alongside the landscapes, we also present a selection of Csilléry’s work as a book illustrator. This applied work forms an organic part of her oeuvre, as retaining her artistic authenticity is an important consideration when accepting book illustrations.
In addition to her autonomous graphic art work and applied book illustrations, Orsolya Csilléry is also specializing in the artists’ book genre, which is eminently rare nowadays. For the creation of these pieces, she executes every single step herself, from the design through the cutting and typesetting to the printing. Two such works are presented in the exhibition.
The artist lives and works in Zebegény, where together with her artist husband, painter Gábor Fenyvesi, they also run a private art school that welcomes students from early childhood to adulthood.