Orosz István

“Everybody in my family is a literary person. I grew up on Jókai and Verne books. Everything I red immediately appeared in my imagination. It was a joy. My way was pegged, devouring the books, frequenting a performers’ club. To became an actor? No. Probably because I could not sing. I registered myself to the University of Arts and Crafts primarily I had an interest in book illustrations and posters.

Literature has great effect, as for example, Babits’s poem: ‘The Eternal Corridor’ does.” – He cites at one breath – “The monotonous arches of the endless portico are swimming in the light of hidden sources. What for to look around? No wrinkles on smooth skies, your eyes do not find the ground…. “ (rough translation) And we are already at the architectural geometry, these three-dimensional-looking forms would be impossible to build, but sometimes possible to draw.

It is full of swindle. At the portico, the number of columns above and below differs. It has live trees and dead wood, just to present the time. The perfect picture is preceded by many ones. “They say there are two kinds of artists: one makes a series to gain one successful, the other makes a series of variations based on the single, first successful one.”

The Snail is a formal play, presenting the rule of golden ratio. “A snail, walking on the patio table, served as model. I made some photos to use it one time.”

“The ‘Ship of Fools’ is on publishing in ten volumes here just now, five of them are ready. I am charged with producing 112 copper etchings. In the late 1400s the book of Sebastian Brand was illustrated by Dürer first. The illustrations were woodcuts, that is, the drawings of Dürer, the Master Principal were carved and printed by woodcutter craftsmen (because there were assistant masters as well). There are many forms of reproduction.”

Prints are produced by heliogravure procedure, a form of the intaglio printmaking. Known for 200 years old, along this photo-mechanical process a copper plate is coated with a light-sensitive gelatine tissue which had been exposed to a film positive, and then etched, resulting in a high quality intaglio print that can reproduce the detail and continuous tones of a photograph.

It is important how the paper is absorbing the paint. I prefer the Fabriano and Ingres paper (the latter is finely ribbed). But, if I want a really special, I order handmade ‘screened’ paper from László Vincze at Szentendre.

He puts a cylindrical mirror at the centre. “Mirror anamorphosis is no longer a devil’s trick, even a computer program was written to produce it. Traditionally, a picture is divided to small squares, and then copied into a layer. I made a development in this procedure: only a part of the picture is anamorphosic, giving a secondary meaning. Here is an illustration to the ‘The Raven’ of E. A. Poe. Many people speculate whether it is a fiction, or you hear the poet himself in the verse, as first person singular. While Poe would vehemently protest, I do show him at the mirror.”

Everywhere books. “We have so many, that we can not find what we need. Slowly we have to go to the library, if we want to read one of them.” On the shelf, there are his own works as well. He is ‘Utisz’, the writer (the Greek word means ‘nobody’). And for those being sick of reading, we are smuggling a few lines of him here:

“Opens the book, staring to your face/ It boldly looks into your eyes / It surely knows what you feel / What you think, it is forever.”

Graphics, animation, posters, books… what is more? We were lucky for we have seen the next, but this is a secret until autumn. The only comment: it will be totally new!

11/10/2011 Budakeszi

Elérhetőség és életrajz:

www.utisz-utisz.blogspot.com/