Page 28 - World of Art magazine (2000)

Petru russu sweden

contemporary art exhibition, The Hague Holland; 1984 Romanian Sweden; 1996 The 3rd int’l Female artist’s art annual, art addiction Gallery, Stockholm Sweden; 1998 Masks in Venice 1,
contemporary art exhibition, Jerusalem israel; 1983 Romanian addiction Gallery, Stockholm Sweden; 1996 Graphic addictions, art addiction annual exhibition, art addiction /palazzo correr,
contemporary art exhibition, New York, washington, Detroit, The 3rd int’l Graphic art exhibition, art addiction Gallery, Venice italy; 1998 The 1st autumn annual in Venice, art addiction
columbus uSa; 1983 Romanian contemporary art exhibition, Stockholm Sweden; 1996 ”addictions”, The 1st int’l Small Graphic /palazzo correr, Venice italy; 1998 The 5th int’l Female artist’s
The Hague Holland; 1983 int’l art exhibition, la Rochelle France; art exhibition, art addiction Gallery, Stockholm Sweden; 1996 art annual, art addiction Gallery, Stockholm Sweden; 1999 The
1983 Romanian contemporary art, corner Gallery copenhagen contemporary italian art, art addiction in Stockholm Sweden; 1st Spring annual in Venice, art addiction /palazzo correr, Venice
Denmark; 1980 individual exhibition, orizont Gallery Bucharest 1996 The 4th int’l exhibition of Miniature art, art addiction Gallery, italy; 1999 Masks in Venice 2, art addiction annual exhibition, art
Romania; 1975~1989 More then 100 group or individual exhibitions Stockholm Sweden; 1997 Femina, Female artist’s art int’l Small addiction /palazzo correr, Venice italy; 1999 The 2nd autumn
in Romania. ART ADDicTiOn 1993~2000 1993 The 1st int’l Forms open exhibition, art addiction Gallery, Stockholm Sweden; annual in Venice, art addiction /palazzo correr, Venice italy;
exhibition of Miniature art, art addiction Gallery, Stockholm 1997 ”Graphic addictions”, The 4th int’l Graphic art exhibition, 2000 The 2nd Spring annual in Venice, art addiction /palazzo
Sweden; 1994 Graphic addictions, The 1st int’l Graphic art art addiction Gallery, Stockholm Sweden; 1997 world of art, correr, Venice italy; 2000 Masks in Venice 3, art addiction annual
exhibition, art addiction Gallery, Stockholm Sweden; 1994 The 1st art addiction int’l Drawing competition, art addiction Gallery, exhibition, art addiction /palazzo correr, Venice italy; 2000 aRT
int’l Female artist’s art annual, art addiction Gallery, Stockholm Stockholm Sweden; 1997 Most Talented artist, art addiction 1st internet, internet art Museum /www.artaddiction.se; 1993 - 2000
Sweden; 1994 The 2nd int’l exhibition of Miniature art, art international prize, art addiction Gallery, Stockholm Sweden; 1997 permanent Member of the art addiction international Honorary
addiction Gallery, Stockholm Sweden; 1995 Graphic addictions, contemporary italian art, art addiction in Stockholm Sweden; prize Jury; 1994 2000 internet art Museum /www.artaddiction.se;
The 2nd int’l Graphic art exhibition, art addiction Gallery, 1997 The 5th int’l exhibition of Miniature art, art addiction Gallery, 1998 2000 Member of aaiaa /art addiction international art
Stockholm Sweden; 1995 The 2nd int’l Female artist’s art annual, Stockholm Sweden; 1997 The 4th int’l Female artist’s art annual, association;
art addiction Gallery, Stockholm Sweden; 1995 The 3rd int’l art addiction Gallery, Stockholm Sweden; 1998 a better world ADDRess Mörbylund 19, 9tr; Se-182 30 Danderyd Stockholm
exhibition of Miniature art, art addiction Gallery, Stockholm for our children, Female artist’s art int’l open exhibition, art Sweden Tel/Fax +46 8 85.72.64 e-mail: info@artaddiction.se

iL DecAmeROne G8 n9, 1987 eTchinG 29, 5 x 20 x cm /11½ x 8 in imAGe size
iL DecAmeROne G3 n1, 1987 eTchinG 29, 5 x 20 x cm /11½ x 8 in imAGe size
woRDS BY inGRiD ROse, aRT cRiTic, THe waSHiNGToN pRiNT cluB, waSHiNGToN Dc uSa iL DecAmeROne G8 n10, 1987 eTchinG 29, 5 x 20 x cm /11½ x 8 in imAGe size
The enTiRe suite of 100 Prints of Boccaccio’s decameron By Petru russu On vieW
...the artist was there, too. That was too much plates because iron, according to him, lent itself be tempted to reread Boccaccio’s tales. Russu
of a good thing, and I asked whether I might better to illustrating the Decameron than copper provides an image of 14th century Italian life by
interview him for my print collector friends in or zinc. Zinc plates, by the way, are often used weaving certain artifacts into his graphic tale.
the States. The idea was lovingly accepted. by printmakers for etching intaglio prints, while Checkerboard tablecloths, wine glasses, rigged
i WAs DeLiGhTeD that by pure coincidence we plexiglass or similar material is preferred for sailing vessels, horsemen and horsewomen,
may be able to look into the working habits of engravings. Russu explained that the edges of the headgear of the period appear throughout
one printmaker. his plates were irregular and crooked on purpose the prints, in variations. Men and women are
Russu said that as a 14 year old he had read because he wanted to simulate the condition and barely humanoid, heads, torsi, limbs are floating
the Decameron. The erotic tales ruminated in looks of an original edition of the tales which in space, disconnected, yet making sense and
his mind while he was growing up, and some he thought would be printed on vellum or early fitting together. Banquet tables with checkered
15 years later he decided to make 10 prints of handmade paper and certainly not have an even, tablecloths are overturned, wine glasses have
the tales that had impressed him most. Once ruler-straight edge. The broad, deeply bitten fallen down, unbroken, the wine flowing out. A
begun in late 1983, however, he did not finish lines in the plate that sit massively on the paper’s real orgy. One head with a Cocteau-like profile
until he had illustrated all the tales on 100 plates surface are the result of dipping the prepared is barely connected to a necktie of the 20th
two years later. He printed the edition of 10 plate repeatedly into sulphuric acid. century. Limbs terminate in stumps or clumps or
impressions per plate himself. WhiLe WORkinG, Russu also changed his geometric finials. The anthropomorphic shapes
Initially, he worked in finely drawn black technique. In the early plates, fine nervously in prehistoric caves come to mind.
lines and brown-toned aquatint, printing 3 to vibrating lines crisscross the plate or run Russu The PRinTmAkeR forces the viewer
5 impressions of each plate in these subdued parallel. Over time, these sensitive lines give to return to his prints and try to interpret the
colors. As he went on working, he found way to single, strong cords, solidly incised meaning of their iconography. While they are
himself changing and added stronger colors in into the plate and solidly stacked on the paper, immediately attractive visually, they ask for
aquatint. Today, he said, he prefers again more surrounding the aquatinted areas like a wall. more attention in the long run.
subdued colors and is even thinking of printing DeciPheRinG The eROTicism of the
in black and white only. He worked with iron iconography was a challenge. One may even

26 WORLD of ART Special iSSue 2000