Page 27 - World of Art magazine (2000)

Petru russu sweden

individual exhibition, arta Gallery, arad Romania; 1988 The 2nd int’l Biennial of Graphic art ljubljana Slovenia; 1987 int’l exlibris xalapa city, Mexaly, ensenada, Mexico; 1987 The 1st int’l print
int’l exhibition of Visual and experimental poetry, San Diego uSa; competition, S:t Niklaas Belgium; 1987 ”Decamerone,100 etch- Biennial, campinas Sao paulo Brazil; 1986 The 12th int’l Biennial of
1988 The 5th int’l Biennial of Graphic art Heidelberg Germany; ings” individual exhibition, campuslibri Gallery, Torino italy; 1987 print Kanagawa Japan; 1986 The 7th int’l Triennial of Graphic art,
1988 The 2nd annual int’l exhibition of Miniature art Toronto ”asino D’oro” individual exhibition, Galateea Gallery, Bucharest Frechen Germany; 1986 The 7th int’l Biennial of art, Mouscron
canada; 1988 The 4th Norwegian int’l Miniature exhibition, Romania; 1987 The 8th int’l Graphic Triennial, intergraphic, Berlun Belgium; 1986 The 25th ”Juan Miro” int’l Drawing contest,
Miniature 4, Fredrikstad Norway; 1988 int’l exlibris prize, Germany; 1987 Decamerone, individual exhibition to Romanian Barcelona Spain; 1986 The 1st int’l Triennial of Drawing, Kalisz
D’annunzio, pescara italy; 1988 int’l Drawing exhibition ,Drawing academy Gallery, Roma italy; 1987 The 4th int’l Triennial of Graphic poland; 1986 The 1st int’l art exhibition ”arts of Today” Budapest
88, pecs Hungary; 1988 Decamerone,100 etching”, individual art, Vassa Finland; 1987 The 5th int’l Biennial of Graphic art, lods Hungary; 1986 int’l print exhibition, Hautefeuille Gallery paris
exhibition, art Museum craiova Romania; 1988 int’l exhibition, poland; 1987 The 8th int’l Biennial of Humor and Satire in the France; 1986 Decamerone, 100 etchings, individual exhibition,
author love, centro lavoro arte Milan italy; 1988 art Fair, Bologna arts, Gabrovo Bulgaria; 1987 The 4th int’l art Biennial, couven italian institute Bucharest Romania; 1986 int’l Mail art exhibition,
italy; 1988 eugenio Mondale, Sao paulo Brazil; 1988 Romanian Belgium; 1987 int’l art exhibition osaka Japan; 1987 The 2nd Noumea New caledonia; 1986 ”Decamerone, 100 etchings”
contemporary Graphic exhibition, Gallery Konstnärhuset int’l art exhibition arts of Today, Budapest Hungary; 1987 int’l individual exhibition, Hellios Gallery Timisoara Romania; 1986
Stockholm Sweden; 1988 The Name of the Rose, individual Mail art exhibition Shadow project, Milan italy; 1987 The 1st int’l Graphic exhibition, espace Delpha paris France; 1986
exhibition, italian institute Bucharest Romania; 1988 Romanian int’l exhibition of contemporary authors, abruzzo and Molise Decamerone, 100 etching, individual exhibition, art Museum
contemporary art Belgrad Yugoslavia; 1988 Romanian contem- italy; 1987 int’l Mail art exhibition, Kassak-Schwitters”, Zamky craiova Romania; 1986 paintings & Drawingsindividual exhibition,
porary art, Tel-aviv israel; 1987 The 4th int’l Biennial of Graphic art, czechoslovakia; 1987 The 1st annual int’l exhibition of Miniature alfa Gallery arad Romania; 1986 Space-Mirror, Group exhibition,
art prize Stuttgard Germany; 1987 Decamerone, 100 etchings, art Toronto canada; 1987 The 2nd int’l Biennial of Visual and architecture academy Bucharest Romania; 1985 The 24th Juan
individual exhibition D’arts Gallery Milan, italy; 1987 The 17th alternative poetry, Mexico Tijuana, Veracruz, Mexico city, puebla, Miro int’l Drawing contest, Barcelona Spain; 1984 Romanian »
iL decamerone
GiORnnATA seTTimA
/nOveLLA OTTAvA
1987 eTchinG
AquA fORTe
AquA TinT
20 x 29,5 cm
/8 x 11½ in
(imAGe size)
32 x 42 cm
/12½ x 16½ in
(PAPeR size)

woRDS BY enRicO cRisPOLTi ART cRiTic ROmA iTALy

fOR WhAT I know now, in Petru Russu’s painting the text. technological mechanics and organic unity”.
the imaginary seems to develop with an accent of russu’s figurative tales are not descriptive. They Actually, the visionary world of Petru Russu
visionary expressionism rather dramatic, arousing, are only in connection with the text for a pure, seems to allude to both those dimension, as two
excited. This particular artistic attitude tests the fantastic solicitation that the artist renews time competing archetypes in the folds of our reality.
reality through the upcoming of a symbolic-oneiric after time. The text is a sort of pretest to stimulate They seem to be indistinguishable inside his
awareness and in a sharpening that could even his own taste, his own genius for a narrative plot visionary plot, where the explicit components
change into a scream. It is a painting of profound, derived from his pure, fantastic, visionary world, are just the floating presences of surreal symbolic
psychic investigation. A violent confession of in witch emerges symbolic presences, archetypal
anguish. Russu’s is crowded by presences, which and mysterious. spheres of allusion. They are references of the
bring dramatically back the reality to a truth of his sheeTs are precious for their vivid, but mechanical plot of our contemporary world and
archetypes, that the artist put in contrast with the softened chromatic that insinuates among the of the iconic plot that chases us daily. But they
leveling of the daily horizon. spaces made by a skillful etching mark aware of are even references of a remote organic root, of
in This engraving work, this visionary attitude is the expressive qualities of that medium. In front an anthropological truth on which are based
more accentuated by a narrative easing. It loosens of Russu’s engravings, we have the sensation of the motivations of a visionary symbolism, like
the dramatic tension. It gains the pleasure of a being in the front of ancient miniatures, singularly Russu’s one.*
pure dreaming-about. It becomes lighter, ironic, “oriental”, suddenly animated by tensions
motioning. The plot moves towards dimensions of enchantments, oneiric but actual starts and plots. figures. Those dimensions remain at the stage of *iTALiAn enGLish TRAnsLATiOn by andrea Pagnes
pure imagination, as it happens in the exercises of Undoubtedly, there is a surrealist component in
a machine that belongs to the world of fantasy. Russu’s figurative world, that gives to the author
The chARAcTeRs come alive in a metamorphic the freedom to reach a fantastic dimension as space
dimension. They cross each other into fantastic of visionary revelation (here we can’t forget the
spaces. They are free from every logic, apart from great lesson of the Romanian Brauner, with his
the one based on the necessity of their narrative peculiar, archetypal surrealism).
plot. The same narrative plot that Russu’s fantasy ReGARDinG these same Russu’s sheets, Dan
has developed in a game of possible analogies with Haulica spoke about a ”double dimension of

Special iSSue 2000 WORLD of ART 25