At the exhibition of aatoth franyo titled Botany, his well-known “flora” is revealed with even more pervasive freshness, a vibrant profusion, virtually filling the halls with the thousands of scents of Far Eastern flowers.
franyo aatoth [b. Nyíregyháza, 1954] first went to Paris in 1978 with the support of Victor Vasarely, where he was a student at the École Supérieure des Beaux-Arts. He subsequently made extended trips to Germany, the Netherlands, the United States and North Africa.
Although his experiences abroad have been incorporated into his work, the country that has had the greatest influence on his painting is Mongolia, which he first visited in 1989 and defined the ‘Red Period’ of his paintings. The richness of form in his art is reflected in his ready-made objects, his 20-language dictionary for travelling alcoholics [including his Tantric Sildavian language], and landscapes that combine abstract and calligraphic elements, expanding his use of colour.
It was the genre of landscape that reflected the experience of his travels to Mongolia and China. Following the tradition of recent years, the paintings currently on display, which were created in Thailand, are now more a reflection of an intimate coexistence with the natural environment. His latest works, presented as part of the exhibition Botany, are closely aligned with recent pieces – the forest dweller, working near the Burmese border, the artist, who has been commuting between Paris and Thailand, has turned to peaceful contemplation and lyrical abstraction.
Its botanical starting point, its interwoven cycles of plants, form an almost text-like fabric, with interlocking tendrils, leaves and flowers forming a picture reminiscent of calligraphy. The rhythmic, expressive surfaces of the oil paintings are accentuated by his watercolour technique – his more recent works on paper are light, airy pieces.
The Várfok Gallery celebrates the seventieth birthday of franyo aatoth with the exhibition Botany. The exhibition is intended to present the artist’s unique, meditative style of painting. The artist masterfully unites in his works the exotic Far East and the familiar, European West.