The screen print shows one of the central motifs of Ilona Keserü. The organically curved form of the heart-shaped gravestones of Balatonudvardi made a deep impression on her. The found motif appears from 1967 onwards, but the elementary form of the wavy line has been present in the work from the very beginning. The motif undergoes a gradual transformation, which is how the pieces of the “Approach” series become works with a strong emotional charge, while the plastic “Pasted Forms” placed in the landscape make the motif cosmic. In some cases the artist plays with the tension of forms, while in others the naïve or sensual qualities are more prominent. The colour palette of her ‘red period’ in the sixties is recalled in this work: orange/cadmium red-pink-purple. The neutral effect of the added ‘human colour’ acts as a background, creating an optical sense of colour transition. Since the 1960s she has been making similar compositions entitled “Tombstones and Feeling”. This print also bears the inscription “feeling”. The motif of a tiny stain in the centre of the work also has a connection with Keserü’s “After Image” series from the 1980s. The background to this series is an optical physiological phenomenon: when exposed to bright light stimuli, shapes flickering in complementary colours appear on the retina of the closed eye. Here, the close colours of the colour palette create an unusual optical sensation, as if they stand out against a flesh-coloured background.
Andrea Tarczali