Krisztina Horvath – Interview

Krisztina Horvath’s first love is art. However, she had a varied career before working as an artist full time. Horvath started with classic ballet then she studied law and worked as an environmental lawyer. The wish to turn back to art never left Horvath and at the beginning of this millennium, she began her journey as an artist.   First as a photographer, and then her passion – painting in the abstract form which provides Horvath with the best tools to express herself. Her work is intuitive expressive and full of movement and energy.    Gestures play an important role in lyrical abstraction creations. The theme that often returns in Horvath’s work is how we as humans relate to nature and our environment. Her expressive artworks reflect inner thoughts and feelings on this issue.   She also gathers inspiration from oriental art and art inspired by Zen teachings and is influenced by painters such as Willem De Kooning, Cy Twombly, Joan Mitchell, and Kazuo Shiraga. The FLUX Review spoke to Horvath about her art and inspiration. For more info, visit: krisztinahorvath.nl

Firstly, can we mention what a diverse path you have had, starting at a ballet academy, then studying law and going on to work as an environmental lawyer, before turning to photography.  Now you work as a painter. Can you tell us what drew you to the medium – and specifically abstraction?

As a photographer, I used to own an analogue Hasselblad camera,  which I loved using, but converting analogue images to digital images was too much of a hassle. When I switched to a digital camera, I lost more and more interest in being a photographer. I used to work with models a lot, which meant I was always dependent on other people. At some point I decided to take up painting, trying to figure out if it suited me better. I guess it was love at first sight. It gave me more freedom to do whatever I wanted with a blank canvas, which I loved. Making abstract pieces is the ultimate artistic freedom. When I started out I only made figurative paintings, but after a while, I discovered I could express myself better with abstract paintings and collages.

My ballet career influenced my art in the sense that I prefer having some type of movement and gestures in my art. The environmental issues that I had to deal with during my career as an environmental lawyer still serve as a thread in my artistic work.

Can you tell us about the recurring themes in your work?

The most important theme in my work, but also throughout my life, is the relationship between man and his natural environment and the way we influence our planet. When I was about 10 years old, I started becoming more and more aware of the environmental issues on Earth, around the same time that the Club of Rome came to the forefront and released The Limits to Growth report. As I got older, I grew more aware of the impact the bio-industry has on our planet, which is why, as an adolescent, I took up vegetarianism for a while. When I became aware of the impact of agriculture on our planet, I gave up meat for good during my time as an environmental lawyer. Humans’ impact on our natural surroundings is a broad theme, ranging from plastic in the ocean to climate change.

How do the characteristics of Zen aesthetics inspire your art?

Around the turn of the century, I became more acquainted with Zen Buddhism and Zen meditation; both would come to influence my life. After a while, I also became aware of the concept of Zen put into art. The book Zen and the fine- arts by Shin’ichi Hisamatsu is a great book which I happened upon around that time, from which I drew a lot of inspiration.    I found myself relating to many of the ideas Hisamatsu put forward about abstract art, one being that Zen art is supposed to feel natural and free-flowing by not being driven by preconceived notions of what you want a certain painting to look like. Zen art is meant to be driven by intuition, perhaps a little bit of subconsciousness. It’s also an art style meant to look fairly worn out, a bit like the walls of an old Italian village or a rusty nail, rather than seeming to be in pristine condition. I try to base my art on Zen art by it being asymmetrical, in contrast to it being completely symmetrical,  because Zen art dictates that asymmetry is more natural. A lack of forcedness is also something I consider essential in my art. By having a painting entirely planned out, it becomes much more artificial and therefore unnatural. Oriental art as a whole, but more specifically Japanese art and aesthetics, is a significant source of inspiration for me, which I try to draw ideas from, but not use as a strict guideline.

You often work in series. What can you tell us about Disturbance, Farewell Snow and Nocturnes?

Disturbance and Farewell Snow are two of my older series, which I’m most likely finished with. Nocturnes is a fairly new series, however, so that one is still an ongoing project.    The human struggle has inspired all three series with nature and human tendencies that conflict with how we should treat our natural surroundings because we strive for technological development and economic growth. The series stands as abstract expressions of the human conflict with our desires and a struggle to find balance.

Disturbance refers to the disturbing of the natural balance on Earth, Farewell Snow refers to climate change, and Nocturnes refers to darker, heavier times. I made Disturbance not long after discovering the art of Kazuo Shiraga, who would dip his feet in oil paint and use them to create big abstract paintings. I dropped my hands in oil paint, though, and didn’t use my feet. Farewell Snow is based on the idea that snow will melt away from the mountain peaks, and glaciers will melt as a whole as an effect of climate change. Nocturnes is a more experimental series, in which I only use black. I decided to do this series after discovering that the possibilities are endless even when I have limited materials.

You have created large multi-paneled pieces mixing acrylic and vintage kimono silk. Can you tell us about the inspiration for the work, and will you be adding to the series?

As I said before, I tend to draw inspiration from oriental art, but in particular Japanese art and aesthetics.  Ever since I was a child, I have dabbled using fabric and pieces of cloth, so I like to use beautiful old kimono fabric in my art. I’ve been collecting vintage silk from old kimonos. They are unique pieces with their own story, often used for ceremonies in Japan, such as weddings. In this series, I discovered that my own expressive, gestural style of painting could fit nicely with the subtle aesthetics of kimono fabric as a contrast. This series is still ongoing, and I plan to add to the series sooner rather than later.

Each of your pieces is thoughtfully titled. Is it important for you to present a narrative to the viewer?

It’s true that I don’t have many untitled pieces because I think the title has something important to add to the artwork. Although not all pieces have to carry a certain narrative, sometimes the mere act of experimenting with paint can be an exciting piece without necessarily telling a story, one example being my ‘monochrome’ series experiment with black and grey. However, I enjoy making pieces of art with a narrative, using them to communicate my thoughts and emotions to the viewer by using a particular title. Sometimes I base the title on the artwork I already made, and sometimes it’s the other way around. To give an example: in the past, I made a series called Are You Being Watched? Around that time, I was worried about how companies and governments attempt to obtain as much information about consumers as possible and how we as consumers readily give up that information. When I finished working on that short series, I thought the title fit the pieces and expressed my thoughts well, and could perhaps get the viewers thinking about that issue.

How has the pandemic impacted your art?

So far, I haven’t really made any pieces, which are specifically referring to the current pandemic, but as I said before, my art mostly revolves around the way we as humans interact with nature and our surroundings, and this pandemic is a   good example of the problems we cause our planet and ourselves. If we don’t respect animals enough, we only end up hurting ourselves.

You have decided to donate a percentage of sales to the WLT (World Land Trust). Can you tell us more about this?

For a few years now, I’ve been donating a percentage of my proceedings from SaatchiArt to initiatives that aim to protect nature and the environment. Initially, I donated to The Ocean Cleanup, which removes rubbish from rivers and oceans, and Cool Earth, an NGO that works alongside indigenous communities to halt deforestation and climate change. This year, I’ve started supporting another initiative: WLT, an international conservation organisation that purchases rainforests and other wildlife habitats for conservation.  David Attenborough, who is one of WLT’s patrons, drew my attention to the importance of this organisation.  I love using my art to support projects which occupy themselves with issues close to my heart.