Eternity that lies in the graphite 2

Astijus Krauleidis-Vermontas
www.kamane.lt, 2016-03-23
Fragment of E. Markūnas' painting. Author's photograph

In brief: The images and smell of the Small version of the great chaos remains in the memory for a long time and, without a doubt, encourages to (get to) know, to create your own galaxy and perhaps even destroy it. It is a game of contemporary art, which artist E. Markūnas invites to play and develop, because creation is not a finite phenomenon. It continues in the viewer's mind.

Kaunas artist Eimutis Markūnas has always been a keen explorer aiming at discoveries. Therefore, choosing to explore the origin of graphite once again (or perhaps anew) and its application in painting artist presented an exhibition The small version of the great chaos at the Kaunas Picture Gallery.

In one of the interviews E. Markūnas philosophically states that "graphite is a carbon variant. An artificial diamond can be obtained by compressing it. It is a very interesting material. Everybody knows that graphite is used for pencils, but the knowledge that you can paint with it was quite a discovery for me. Graphite (maybe I would not call it a material of death) is still very noble and has its glow." In this case, it is important to E. Markūnas that graphite has a claim to eternity.

E. Markūnas’ paintings presented at the exhibition are close to graphics (not only because he uses graphite) as well as to the art of photography that allows to notice optical riddles and image transformations. The plane of the picture emphasizes not the artist's but the viewer's perception of symbols, i.e. it highlights the viewer's confrontation with painting.

E. Markūnas rarely assigns titles for his works. More often he refuses to identify the works leaving the exhibition visitors to solve the riddle - what is that name and what does it mean for each of us; how do we treat chaos. The riddle remains in the exhibition not only because of the names, but also because of the definitions of chaos. Exhibition works, consciously or not, can be combined into a coherent narrative, with a clear connection - graphite and color (blue - cobalt pigment, pink, yellow or soft gray).

Presenting the Small version of the great chaos artist E. Markūnas not only delves into the semantics of chaos, but also into the author's technique - graphite is combined with paint, the particularity and abstraction are emphasized. Mystery, intertextuality and also interactivity are the concepts of fundamental E. Markūnas' art strategy. On the other hand, he does not refuse an ironic approach to chaos. Artist’s philosophy, that graphite expresses eternity, seems quite interesting. Maybe that is why this material, symbolizing cold and roughness is tempered on the surface of the painting.


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