László Surányi

On András A. Márton’s Works

Contemplative painters have long been searching how a picture is borne out of an idea. This is the question András A. Márton wants to answer, too. Reasonable painters’ tradition of presenting shapes of geometry in pictures makes us understand why geometry, an exquisite mediator between idea and picture, is so emphatically present in the artist’s pictures. What kind of geometry is to be found here? Márton’s emblematic figures can be associated with the hunting scenes of 6000-8000-year-old cave paintings of Sahara however his figures are essentially immaterial being built up of geometrical lines and curves.

In Time, and also in other pictures Márton’s figures closely connected to modern conception of space appear together with geometrical illustrations taken from Bolyai’s Appendix. A slight impression of the translucent figures catches the eye in the purely geometrical picture where Minkowski’s four-dimensional space-time is represented by some laconic lines. Thousands of years between ancient religion and modern mathematical physics are overarched by geometrical curves forming figures transubstantiated from earthly into pure impetus. We would be embarrassed if we had to answer the question whether the figures are driven by Worringen’s abstraction or empathy.

Topics of antagonism that Márton is caught by are presented only with some lines, in his gentle style and with kind humour. However in History of Geometry the contradiction is explicitly shown. Severe rationality of the (quasi) three-dimensional blocks standing for the closed and solid world of geometry is broken by delicately indicated, airy figures. Static blocks are contrasted to the emblematic figures driven by impetus and devotion aiming to reach an impossible and imaginary goal.

In Connection of Events closed geometrical order is broken twice by Márton’s playful mind. On one hand for sake of confrontation of solid blocks air is let in between them. On the other hand geometric logic and evenness of the forms is also broken apart. While keeping the frames of geometric logic the shape of blocks is still questioned one could almost say the blocks are presented as figures of hyperbolic geometry in our Euclidean world. In History of Geometry absurd impetus is breaking the solid blocks of Euclidean structure from inside and the same impetus is making the delicately drawn figures move. In The Universe of the Will thought and imagination is struggling. Márton is caught by Bolyai who gave thoughtful meaning and justice to a world hitherto impossible and out of which a new visual universe could (also) have been borne. Bolyai’s geometry is a special medium between thought and picture transforming impossible into possible.

We the spectators are to answer the questions whether Márton’s airy, enchanted figures are driven by devotion or by bellicosity, whether they find the burden of thought too heavy and would like to escape into an imaginary world; or maybe they are enthusiastic, sad, trustful, forgiving or ironically humorous. The artist never forces his explanation on us, we have to decide.

2010, Élet és Irodalom [Literary Magazine]