Ștefan Câlția
Catalogue and Reviews: Stefan Câlția at Galleri Jedig (1986–1987)
Ștefan Câlția full catalogue for his soloshow, Galleri Jedig 1887
Art under a Glass Dome
Stefan Câlția, Galleri Jedig’s Kunsthandel, Admiralgade 22, closes April 5
It is not every day that we have the opportunity to become acquainted with art from Romania. The 44-year-old professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bucharest, Stefan Câlția, has exhibited in both Norway and West Germany, and now for the first time a small selection of his prints and drawings is shown at Galleri Jedig’s Kunsthandel in Copenhagen.
The artist’s distinctive burlesque gallery of figures and poetic imagination is immediately striking. Câlția has his roots in an old Transylvanian rural environment. This centuries-old treasure of folk tales and customs, together with the surrounding landscape and his temperamental reserves, is deeply present in his work. Hieronymus Bosch’s visions, Brueghel’s parables, and Goya’s Caprichos have also left strong traces in Câlția’s art. There is a blending of past and present in his controlled line.
A central theme is the combination of human and animal. The old peasant woman with a bird on her head. A fish growing out of a human stomach. A frog, half transformed into a human being. An ape-man carrying a fish, etc. It is an ancient motif – think of the mermaid or the siren – here used in connection with the depiction of an old peasant society and its slow rhythm of life.
The glass bubble or glass dome is another important motif. It surrounds and encloses many of the acting figures as an expression of life’s imprisonment, and at the same time it functions as a symbol of transience.
The figures move in a dreamlike rhythm, and one is fascinated by the visionary character of the works. The line is thin and sensitive, and the colors range from the darkest grey to the more dreamlike and fanciful hues.
The exhibition is too small to give a comprehensive impression of Stefan Câlția’s thematic and painterly scope. But it is a tantalizing appetizer. When will we get to see more of him?
Ole Nørlyng, Berlingske 1986
Fables
Stefan Câlția, Galleri Jedig, Admiralgade 22, closes September 16
Among the many medieval fables that fascinate the Romanian painter Stefan Câlția, the tale of the ship of fools occupies a special place. The ship, which sometimes transforms into a barrel or a “Godot-like” garbage can, is an allegory of life and populated with numerous strange beings, either half fish themselves or in the act of fishing. Human absurdity unfolds with poetry as its constant partner.
Stefan Câlția, who exhibited in Copenhagen for the first time last year, has now returned with a larger selection of works. They confirm his great talents as a mystical fabulist. It is above all his graphic form that captivates, while the works that incorporate more color are uneven, because the often-used black does not always merge easily with the pastel palette. Yet the eye remains fixed, for instance, on the large painting Night of the Fishermen.
Ole Nørlyng/ Berlingske 12.9.1987
