Art Encounters 2017 Exhibitions:
That Obscure Object of Desire

Cornel Brudașcu (b. 1937) studied at the “Ion Andrescu” University of Art in Cluj-Napoca. An iconic painter of the 70s neo-avantgarde, he is one of the few Romanian artists associated with Pop Art artistic expression, later diverting his attention towards hyper-realism. His radical paradigm shift, developed through the introduction of new visual elements, as well as through the diversity of themes and genres he approached, led in time to the emergence of a personal approach, which proved to have a strong influence on new generations.

Expoziții (selecție): Parfum 79 [Perfume 79], V.N.H Gallery, Paris (2016); The EY Exhibition: The World Goes Pop, TATE Modern, London (2015); Mirror Stage, works by Cornel Brudașcu and Alin Bozbiciu, Le Plafond Gallery, Amsterdam (2014); Burning Down The House, Gwangju Biennale (2014); Cornel Brudașcu – Portretul unei generații [Cornel Brudașcu – Portrait of a generation], Intact Space, The Paintbrush Factory, Cluj-Napoca (2013, solo); Artistul și Puterea. Ipostaze ale picturii românești între anii 1950-1990 [The Artist and The Power. Aspects of Romanian painting in the years 1950-1990], National Library of Romania, Bucharest (2012); East of Eden, Ludwig Museum, Budapest (2011).

Cornel Brudașcu is one of the few Romanian artists associated with Pop Art in a time when the Western influence and pop culture’s imagery were least likely to resonate. During this time, the 70s, his paintings reveal a space of intellectual freedom and a new approach to realism which is especially remarkable from the standpoint of the new generation of painters in Cluj, who take him as a model. His latest paintings explore an oneiric and homo-erotic imaginary where masculine figures are melting into the natural landscape; some of them are leaning or walking, taking off their clothes or playing an instrument as in a contemporary Bacchanalia. It is only recently that the artist came out of the closet, which positively influenced his artistic practice.

Images:

1. Cornel Brudașcu, Untitled (2016), photo credits: YAP studio