Tarján Hédi (Vízivárosi Galéria, Budapest, 2007)

Connections, atmosphere of colours, wobbling shadows After many years, I still wonder at how human relationships are modelled on the internet, and what is more, it is the basis of a new separate science, networkology, which seeks intercon­nections among every kind of connection systems. At a totally primitive but deeply human level, such a system of social, friendly and artistic connections determine my relationship with Hédi Tarján, not independently from Budapest, the 2nd district, Százados út, New York and Jerusalem. Let me highlight a small group from them, old she-friends of Hédi Tarján, former apprentice artists: Zsuzsa Szenes, Gizi Solti, and Veronika Szalai, who joined later. This exhibi­tion was initiated and is still promoted already by them (with Zsuzsa Szenes participating only from there above). Hédi Tarján painted a fine picture of her she-friends around a table with Miklós Erdély standing in the door, and she wrote a beautiful confession (Balkon 2003/5). On the other hand, it would not be possible to deduce the peculiarities of Hédi Tarján's art merely from these connections. Not even from this beautiful sentence: "While Gizi Solti and Zsuzsa Szenes advanced steadily towards their artistic fulfilment, I, with the energy gained from 'being nowhere' and always being late, am still heading towards something." This art can hardly be expressed in words because they are so "nothing-like". As a matter of fact, the pictures are so simple that they barely have any colour and form - as if they had been born by mere emotions. They look as if someone would make outlines of figures but not with pencil because it would be too concrete but with brush and tempera, so tenderly that sometimes only the wobbling and colourful shades are floating in a kind of fog or atmosphere, on the border of "art informel". Hédi Tarján acts in such a manner despite "formally" she meets every professional and genre expec­tation: she paints portraits, nudes, interiors and landscapes. On the other hand, this classifica­tion has no significance whatsoever from the aspect of the artist's "aiming" ("...I am still aim­ing at something"). Although she is always trying to paint brownish-pinkish figures in greyish­­blue or bright ultramarine background, Hédi Tarján still aims rather towards phenomena. Figures tend to disappear in a sea of indeterminable colours. This world is the final essence or the dis­solution of the world of Post-Impressionism, École de Paris, Béla Czóbel, and, if it is a way, dis­appearance or immersion can be expected at its end. However, unexpected signs can also appear along the road: a blue mask, as it were from Lajos Vajda's pictorial art, followed by pen­guins alone or in groups, also wobbling and admirable blue shades, which could overturn even the aforementioned carefully constructed imagery in no time. Let sight, paint, colour and atmosphere overcome word and writing. To Hédi Tarján with love: László Beke

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