• Bunsen, Mendler, Márkos, Fabritius: Die Gruppe (in English)
• Die Gruppe in Ungarn mit Björn Engholm 1992

• Zum Autorenverzeichnis
• um Hauptverzeichnis

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2018 - Somewhere in eastern Europe:

Bam, smack, POW!

And suddenly it's upon you - an image, whose surprise encounter hits you like a rogue wave, leaving the unwary bystander gasping for breath with no room for spot guessing.

Now that kind of delivery makes art extraordinary! Anyone searching even yet for so-called meaning in the picture world of András Márkos will have to make do with his reverend scripture of automatic gesture; sketched verse of historical passage, layered in the immediate context of ecriture automatique. We, the observer, are called on to immerse ourselves in the rhythmic enactment of time, in some fanciful allegory that Márkos has unwittingly depicted. Every brush stroke splashes to the charge of vivacious commitment, whose brainteasing impression a patient and discerning eye sooner or later is sure to figure out. In the final analysis, his semantics lean towards the mystical; whimsical shapes flickering on the backdrop of our unconscious, naturally to the chuckling delight of their maker.

What prompts this kind of art in the first place? What triggers this expressive and emotionally stirred painting practice that we're now bearing witness to? It might conceivably lie in the psyche of the artist, or then again, was sparked by the super nova of some poignant experience to which he bore witness, and was just resounding to in painterly resolve. As the pictures of András Márkos attest, such cosmic bursts were none other than looked-out-for opportunities, for the most part, sustained by the artist's notorious, trigger-happy paint brush. No wonder, his lifeblood has always fed on such twists of fate, simply to remain in pursuit of that obscure object of desire that society reveres as art.

Advent 2018: An unexpected call from a friend of old was to catch me by surprise. The relationship of Márkos and I went back some 34 years, although seven quiet years had now passed without the slightest exchange. In the same rustle our ties had waned they were all-of-a-sudden getting a fresh reboot. Remarkably we were "on-line" again. Unforeseen, rouge happenstance of that kind has always caught my eye, particularly in regards to a certain art phenomenon; one that signals the exclusivity of a single chance that an artist can seize upon only in the here and now. It's in that quixotic nature of András Márkos to be forever on the lookout; all the time sniffing out the faintest of scents in picking up that invisible trail of art. And as fate has shown, his efforts haven't been in vain - as I'm realizing once again in the wake of our recent phone session. That element of surprise, by doing it for no reason at all, is the calling card, the raison d 'être of the accomplished artist.

Time and again Márkos' skeptical attitude towards social convention has served to generate growth within his own art pallet; to nurture the root of his spiritual self, all the while striving to remain a contending force in facing off with some current notion of society. His unwavering interest in aesthetic investigation continues to advance fresh and novel sequels, as he pushes onward into the unknown - the contemporary.

It all boils down to how comprehensively we, the viewer, encircle an artwork's tantalizing mystery, all the more, its inherent beauty. Tracing Márkos picture syntax of line, surface, and color to a moment grander than the sum of its components shows that there is more to a picture than usually meets the eye. And believe it or not, the quality of art needs no help in expressing itself: To be sure, it's self-explanatory.

Whether paintings, drawings, installations, or performances, if the making of art doesn't have to be, i.e., has no reason for its being done in the first place, then that's a sure sign that an evolving constellation will later hold up and go on to assert itself. That having been the case, the observer instinctively turns backs the clock, switching to a second key vantage point of time, namely, to ponder the genesis of that very outcome. With time, forces at work in a picture's structural makeup become clearer. Finally in the act of de-constructing the observer is led to appreciate in retrospective what combination of factors led to an artwork's expression in the first place: The aesthetics of art breathe in many ways.

The next debut of this weathered artist is soon to be, another link wrought onto his growing chain of manifestations. As we now muse the art of András Márkos we inevitably find ourselves glancing back, wanting to examine previous exploits; studying the public stages that undeniably became turning points in his life. In taking on this viewpoint we might perchance grasp the historical relevance of his art, how artistic deeds of the past came to make their mark in their own time.

Colorful episodes flare up in brief recount of yesteryear; of Paris, France (Die Gruppe 1984; debut of our rebellious artist collective), Leonberg, Germany (Glaskasten 1990; establishing a self-marketing platform), Cleveland, USA (Park West Galleries 1988; merging art and market), Valletta, Malta (The Holy War of Art 1995; performance on the historical clash of cultures), or Bucharest, Romania (Indulgence Papers 2009; performance on the political windmills of time) - just to name a few. Each career step, great in achievement, didn't come without its price in blood, sweat and tears - paid in full, as the author can confirm. All of these circumstances of time and place have, of course, molded Márkos present, and I've come to realize how they've formed the weave of our own artist relation as well.

Might each and every observer become aroused by the spirited, life sculpted imagery of this distinctive art - to that end I bid the exhibition: "flying colors!"

As for the artist I wish him the triggering of all the more turning points, and secondly, an all rebounding resilience: Bam, smack, POW!

Prof. Frederick D. Bunsen M.A.

12/2018 Ammerbuch, Germany (www.spacetime-publishing.de)

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