Guntars Sietiņš /LV/ Characters

Exhibition at the VGAC Gallery Kairė–dešinė , Vilnius. 27 November – 15 December 2012.

Today the term ‘mezzotint’ has surpassed the boundaries of terminology used within the professional art environment. Maybe not every computer user among the millions of users in the contemporary world will know the mezzotint masterpieces created in the eighteenth century, but many of them will surely have heard at least about the filter mezzotint offered by the image processing software Adobe Photoshop.

Guntars Sietiņš works in the technique of mezzotint (the term is derived from the Italian mezzo-tinto, meaning half-painted) that gives a definite structure to his prints. Mezzotint’s scope of expression includes tonal gradations ranging from deep black to light tones that even on the lightest spot or grain bear the stamp of shadow. The structure is that makes the visual elements appear somewhat inexplicable and mysterious.

The reflection of reality on a metallic sphere is one of graphic artist Guntars Sietiņš’ most frequently used motifs. The artist is fascinated by the possibility to open an extra dimension in the dialogue of space and object, simultaneously preserving real or seemingly real form. The reflection on a sphere distorts the visible world. Or on the contrary – the reality does not correspond to the reflection. Where it is that reality ends and illusion begins? Which is the moment when shifts in time and space take place? Which aspect should be chosen? How to merge two aspects into one?

The layers of visual information touch, get harmonized or counteract, giving rise to various associations and evoking the desired “chemistry” of sensations.

Anita Vanaga
Art historian