The exhibition "The Tooth of Time" by the Montenegrin academic painter Goran Ćetković will be opened tonight at the Art Pavilion in Podgorica, at 21 p.m. The exhibition includes 30 large-format works that were created from 2015 to the present day, and were made in the "oil and acrylic on canvas" technique. In a conversation with "Vijesti", the artist announced the exhibition, which can be viewed until September 28.
"'The Tooth of Time' is a universal story about the transience of life. These are portraits torn from the body that swirl in space, and are characterized by the cries of a lost world".
"The Tooth of Time" brings together a display made up of works with particularly strong names that create emotion in the viewer... The audience will have the opportunity to see works named: Narcissus, Solitude, Smile, Drama, Happiness, Nausea, Silence, Space...
"Each picture is created spontaneously and carries with it a certain emotion. The name of the picture imposes itself, but, on the other hand, it must not limit it, because it can always be interpreted in several ways. The very name "The Tooth of Time" is the thread that connects all the images into one whole. It is about topics such as transience, loneliness and alienation of man, in this and in every time", said Ćetković for "Vijesti".
There is a noticeable and striking association with various tones of blue, muted blue with beams of light that illuminate the faces, usually the center of the picture... Ćetković points out that "just as the name of the exhibition unites all the names of the paintings, so does the color blue, in terms of style and expression, connects all images”.
30 large-format works in the technique of oil and acrylic on canvas, which were created from 2015 until today, can be viewed by the public until September 28
"The blue color represents the spiritual spheres of man and is a symbol of the universe. Each picture rests on an emphasized contrast between dark and light. I always emphasize what is important with white accents. During the painting, I do not observe the person portrayed, but live "his life" through color and emotion. With the help of artistic elements, I create visual drama. Each painting is created 'in one breath' as a result of a spontaneous gesture and painting action. Sometimes, while I'm 'in the picture' I'm not aware of what I'm doing," says Ćetković.
The entire collection seems to represent the most perfect shape - a circle - because the works are connected thematically, colorfully, psychologically, and even by name. The setting looks like one man, or part of him, as a personality, emotion, condition, like life in miniature, universally representing everything that is human.
"My painting deals with one question, and that is the question of man. In my opinion, art is not distanced from reality but is in constant interweaving with life. Although the characters in my paintings sometimes seem to be distant from modern life, they are still deeply immersed in it. I agree with you that my painting is universal because I paint the spiritual states characteristic of man in every time", concludes the artist.
The title of the text "The secret to a man is the highest" and the text itself in the catalog, prepared by art historian Ljiljana Zeković, confirm that the center of Ćetković's creativity is man, his specific cry, exclamation, movement, word, poetry, cosmos..., which can be seen on the works.
"In Ćetković's painting, portraits dominate - heads that are only hinted at with the body, or detached from the body, swirl in the infinite ether and disappear into the nothingness of the cosmos, from which the lonely cries of a lost world wandering in a spiritual and existential void can be heard." wrote Zeković, who will also open the exhibition.
Ćetković: I have motivation and obligation only towards myself and my art
Ćetković was born in 1975 in Kolašin. He graduated in painting at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Cetinje in the class of professor Nikola Gvozdenović. He exhibited at a large number of group exhibitions in the country and abroad, he is a participant in many art colonies, and he also had about twenty solo exhibitions. He is the winner of the "Milunović, Stijović, Lubarda" award of the Association of Fine Artists of Montenegro.
"I received that significant recognition in 2016 for the picture "Philosopher". The reward is always satisfaction, but I only have motivation and obligation towards myself and my art. My painting is characterized above all by continuity of work and productivity", he said.
When asked if there are any paintings that he "withdraws from the market" even before receiving an offer for them, he replied that he is particularly attached to some works and that he tries to save representative examples from each cycle.
"Vijesta" reveals that for 2019 he plans to realize some projects outside of Montenegro.
He lives for art and from art
After several exhibitions abroad, Ćetković points out to "Vijesti" that "every art scene has its advantages and disadvantages, both domestic and foreign", but that the most important thing for him as an author is to have continuity in his work and exhibitions, and to get to know audience with their works outside the exhibition spaces.
"True admirers of art follow my painting through social networks, but also directly at exhibitions. It is mostly an educated audience with a refined sense of beauty. Montenegrin fine art has a strong tradition, from which the present-day fine art scene with representatives who differ in terms of artistic expression originates. Most often, these are distinct artistic individuals," he says.
When asked if it is difficult to make a living from art, Etković concludes:
"I live for art, but also from art".
Gallery
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