Page 6 - Julia Cseko the Rant series

prehistoric painting was predicated on the “choice of rare and exotic materials...and metaphorical reference to valued or sacred subjects...in constructing meaning and communicating social identity.” iv
The prehistoric sacrality of painting is the basis of modern culture’s reverence of the painted image as the material for conveying metaphor and meaning. Since the rst decades of the twentieth century, painting has been much disparaged as the standard (hallmark) of modern culture that led society to the precipice of its own extinction. Painting has died a thousand deaths over the past century as moderns attempt to divorce themselves from that culture and the vestiges of the primal need for metaphor and myth through the painted image. Certainly the art market allure for Zombie Abstraction has faded quickly in the recognition of its shallow contributions to communicating meaning to a contemporary audience. Csekö joins a cadre of contemporary painters that ignore the self-indulgence of art about itself, reject the mechanism of irony that only provides cursory meaning, and develop new metaphorical structures to ask: How can visual art advance crucial cultural, social, and philosophical ideas? v
Csekö’s paintings assume a personality and speak directly to
the viewer. She communicates in the vernacular and, through 6 the sequence of paintings–from black to silver to gold–evolves
from her “rant” on the artistic struggle to deeper spiritual thoughts, a trajectory that is paralleled by her visual means. She cleverly contrives to attract the attention of the digital era denizen. Through the poignancy of text and the stark visual presence of the paintings, she asks each person to devote time to a visual and cognitive experience. Csekö coyly posits a deception that transcends the attention de ciency of the 140-character thought and delves into deeper questions. The paintings scream, “Please Pay Attention, Please!” vi
In the stark reality of black and white, the rst triptych com- mands the viewer away from their personal digital device to confront the physical world they inhabit. It draws attention to its own physical presence as a pigmented surface, diverting the reader from the seduction of their marketed desires and asks them to consider, “Why are we here? What are we doing?” The hollow letters sink into the black darkness, asking, “Is this really necessary? Why bother?” The disconcerting confrontation with the reality of existence would turn some viewers away, but the artist astutely provides comic relief and invites the viewer to “Take a sel e with me.”
The shimmering silver of the second triptych shifts endlessly with light and motion, evoking an elusive presence. The voice of the painting changes to that of the artist. She tells the story of her mercurial wanderings embracing two seemingly
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