george kozmon

               a  r  t  i  s  t      s  t  a  t  e  m  e  n  t

  My work in the past decade continues building on  representational images as allegorical tools.

I’m fascinated by the transient nature of ambition and achievement. Architectural elements in various stages of decay are both building blocks of civilization and icons of hubris, structures of stone with aspirations of permanence. Expanding my interest in human perception of times passage, I’ve been painting Hungarian runic writing (rovás irás), referencing my personal history and incorporating the archaic writing system into both figurative and architectural works.

 In contrasting organic (paper) with human made (steel) materials I’m exploring the strengths and fragility of each, highlighting human vulnerability. Isolating the figure with no frame of reference regarding time and place, with no individual identity, and using monumental scale, the nude becomes a heroic/anti-heroic archetype.

Most images of ruins - like the figures - defy specific cultural identification and have a  timeless quality in vague dreamlike/ethereal landscapes. A departure is the I-beam canvases. By definition the structures are more contemporary but still surreal, with the ancient runic writing as counterpoint giving them a somewhat post apocalyptic aura.

Recent experiments focus on the elemental landscape, primarily rock, snow and ice; the seemingly indomitable grand vista of unconquered peaks. I’m painting on slabs of marble, depicting stone on stone, leaving the inherently seductive nature of the surface intact and encasing it in thick resin. I’m sealing our perception of timelessness…

The theme continues in my newest drawings on paper, a medium I always seem to return to. Large, starkly black and white minimalist compositions with less writing but more symbols, this series started in April 2011, and after a dozen drawings/paintings feels like being on the cusp of a great adventure.

               George Kozmon

               June, 2011