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2005.The Art Bridge...

The Art Bridge between Italy and Hungary
by Arnaldo Dante Marianacci


Exhibition 2005, in the Italian Cultural Center, Budapest, Hungary
Hungarian artists who either lived in Italy for various durations or traveled there extensively – in other words, people who came to know a great deal about the Italian way of life and, through their art, were able to pass this information on – played a prominent role in the history of cultural relations between Italy and Hungary throughout the past, and especially in the last two centuries. The characters and the landscapes, the monuments and other artworks that they captured in their paintings, have provided ample evidence of this.
We feel an obligation to play our part in promoting the work of these artists. Thanks to the close cooperation between the Italian Cultural Institute of Budapest and the Hungarian Academy of Rome, we are happy to honor that obligation. It is hardly a coincidence that the Foreword to this Catalogue was written by László Csorba, the current Director of the Academy. Furthermore, it is also a matter of some significance that a giant-size reproduction on canvas of an Italian landscape by the great 19th-century Hungarian painter, Károly Markó, Snr. – who lived in Rome and Pisa for an extended period – is put up in the main hall in the Italian Cultural Institute of Budapest, the same building that once housed the first Hungarian Parliament.
Géza Németh, who is one of the most important contemporary Hungarian artists, nicely falls in line with this tradition. His “imaginary landscapes” – created using a unique, mixed technique: acryl and digital print on chipboard – offer a wonderful summary view of a human and creative cultural journey spanning more than forty years, in which the artist moves with ease between the realms of memory and fantasy, dream and reality.
To quote Goethe’s words, “art provides us the best way to hide from the world; on the other hand, art also provides us the best way to link up with the world.” We believe that Géza Németh’s beautiful paintings thoroughly epitomize Goethe’s words: through the seemingly eccentric and surreal compositions that possess curious magnetism, they testify for the artist’s continuous effort to hide away from the world; at the same time, they call attention to the dangers that our thousands-of-years-old culture have in store for us, and from which humankind seems to move away more and more.
2005 Arnaldo Dante Marianacci
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