István Jarmeczky

István Jarmeczky is a geometric painter who has exhibited extensively in Hungary as well as across Europe. Solo exhibitions include features with quadruple showings at ARMECZKY Gallery and...

István Jarmeczky is a geometric painter who has exhibited extensively in Hungary as well as across Europe. Solo exhibitions include features with quadruple showings at ARMECZKY Gallery and presentations at Erd Gallery, Nick Art & Design Gallery, Boscolo New York Palace Art Gallery, Bernáth Gallery, House of Arts, Small Gallery, Sellye, Museum Gallery, Janus Pannonius University, and Dunántúli Napló Gallery, all in Hungary. Recent group exhibitions in Hungary include inclusion at 20th Panel Painting Biennale, REÖK Palace, Siklós Art Salon, and Újpest Gallery. István’s awards include recognition with the Society of Hungarian Painters, Hungarian Artists' Association, and United Artists International. He has been exhibiting since 1977 while being more active recently with over 150 exhibitions to date on his resume. 

The acrylic paintings on canvas are executed with great precision using brushes and tape, outlying asymmetrical geometric compositions which hark on the philosophy of post-structuralism. István creates works which deconstruct form and are reassembled into angularities and stretched rectangles resembling pixelated and digitized abstractions. Much like Atari video games from the 1980’s and Gameboy consoles from the 1990’s, the paintings give off playful geometric traits with vivid neon colors combined with dark and neutral tones. 

With a great sense of flatness and respect for the surface, the compositions are laid out with shapes interacting with each other like a rhythmic choreographed dance and usually executed in a minimalist fashion without overwhelming the audience. These futuristic designs appear almost architectural which forecast the layout for unforeseen structural layouts. With a sense of harmony and calmness, these grand compositions evoke homage to great 20th century masters of geometric painting such as Piet Mondrian and Pablo Picasso while forging a new contemporary identity through negative space, angular form, and post-modern neon colors. 

Doubtful Certainty the Moments of Life 1 (pictured above) remains one of István’s flattest paintings. Unlike most of his other works, the piece contains no negative space, with the composition filled with skyscraper-like colored structures which grasp towards the air. The thoroughly vertical composition imposes a great sense of asymmetry and angularity with the thin forms expressing both subtle aggression with zig-zag outlines and hints of sensuality with organic curvature. 

István Jarmeczky can be described as an artist who reveals the identity of the surface. He redefines geometric painting with a sense of variation between digitized appearances ranging to structural and architectural effects with integration of neon color and high contrast. The paintings weave both complex as well as minimalist compositions with solid forms creating a holistic sense of space. István Jarmeczky should be regarded as a monumental painter who constructively plays with space in relation to artificial human-conceived forms, mostly devoid of the natural world, invoking a sense of urbanization and industrialization.

Artist website: https://jarmeczky.com/index.php/en

Saatchi Art: https://www.saatchiart.com/jarmeczkyart