István Orosz
Encyclopedia
István Orosz Hungarian painter
, printmaker, graphic designer
and animated film director, is known for his mathematically inspired works, impossible objects, optical illusions, double-meaning images and anamorphoses
. The geometric art of István Orosz, with forced perspectives and optical illusions, has been compared to works by M. C. Escher
.
) in Budapest
as pupil of István Balogh
and Ernő Rubik
. After graduating in 1975 he began to deal with theatre as stage designer and animated film as animator and film director. He is known as painter
, printmaker, poster
designer
, and illustrator
as well. He likes to use visual paradox
, double meaning images and illusionistic approaches while following traditional printing techniques such as woodcutting and etching
. He also tries to renew the technique of anamorphosis
. He is a regular participant in the major international biennials of posters and graphic art and his works has been shown in individual and group exhibitions in Hungary
and abroad. Film director at the PannóniaFilm
Studio in Budapest
, Habil. professor at University of West Hungary
in Sopron
, co-founder of Hungarian Poster Association, member of Alliance Graphique International (AGI) and Hungarian Art Academie. He often uses OYTIΣ, or Utisz
, (No one) as artist's pseudonym.
designer
, the printmaker, the illustrator
, and the film director
have completed each other. Many motive, stylistic features, technical solutions appeared in all of the media and for Orosz it seemingly did not cause any problem to cross the borders of the different genres. When he was drawing a poster usually he did it with the preciseness of illustrators, when he was illustrating a book, he did it with the narrative mood of filmmakers, if he was animating films, sometimes he used the several layers approach of etchers and engravers and for prints he often chose the emblematic simplifying way of depiction of posters. If we call him only a poster designer based on his functional prints, we narrow down his field of activity, we go closer to the truth if we associate him with „postering" as a way of thinking, or if we call his many sided image depicting ourselves and our age as the poster-mirror of István Orosz. (Guy d'Obonner: Transfiguration of Poster - detail)
designer
in the first part of his career. He made mainly cultural posters for theatres, movies, galleries, museums and publishing houses At the time of the revolutions of 1989
in Eastern Europe
he drew some political posters too. His "Tovarishi Adieu" (also used with text "Tovarishi Koniec" – that means Comrade
s it is over) appeared in many countries and it was known as symbolic image of changes in the area.
(anamorphosis is Greek for "re-transformation") play with perspective to create a distorted image that appears normal only when viewed from the correct angle or with the aid of curved mirrors.
The technique was often used by Renaissance
-era artists.
Orosz tries to renew the technique of anamorphosis and his aim is to develop it as well when he gives a meaning to the distorted image, too. It is not an amorph picture any more, but a meaningful depiction that is independent from the result that appears in the mirror
or viewed from a special point of view.
This approach of anamorphoses is suitable for expressing more sophisticated messages, and it fits to show more amusing fun.
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
, printmaker, graphic designer
Graphic designer
A graphic designer is a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who assembles together images, typography or motion graphics to create a piece of design. A graphic designer creates the graphics primarily for published, printed or electronic media, such as brochures and...
and animated film director, is known for his mathematically inspired works, impossible objects, optical illusions, double-meaning images and anamorphoses
Anamorphosis
Anamorphosis or anamorphism may refer to any of the following:*Anamorphosis, in art, the representation of an object as seen, for instance, altered by reflection in a mirror...
. The geometric art of István Orosz, with forced perspectives and optical illusions, has been compared to works by M. C. Escher
M. C. Escher
Maurits Cornelis Escher , usually referred to as M. C. Escher , was a Dutch graphic artist. He is known for his often mathematically inspired woodcuts, lithographs, and mezzotints...
.
Biography
Studied at the Hungarian University of Arts and Design (now Moholy-Nagy University of Art and DesignMoholy-Nagy University of Art and Design
The Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design , former Hungarian University of Arts and Design, is located in Budapest, Hungary. The university is committed to training traditional artist-craftsmen, as well as architects, designers and visual communication designers...
) in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
as pupil of István Balogh
István Balogh
István Balogh may refer to:*István Balogh who worked on a number of Hungarian films during the 1940s*István Balogh who represented Újpest FC and Hungary*István Balogh , Hungarian dissident and priest...
and Ernő Rubik
Erno Rubik
Ernő Rubik is a Hungarian inventor, architect and professor of architecture. He is best known for the invention of mechanical puzzles including Rubik's Cube , Rubik's Magic, Rubik's Magic: Master Edition, Rubik's Snake and Rubik's 360....
. After graduating in 1975 he began to deal with theatre as stage designer and animated film as animator and film director. He is known as painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
, printmaker, poster
Poster
A poster is any piece of printed paper designed to be attached to a wall or vertical surface. Typically posters include both textual and graphic elements, although a poster may be either wholly graphical or wholly text. Posters are designed to be both eye-catching and informative. Posters may be...
designer
Designer
A designer is a person who designs. More formally, a designer is an agent that "specifies the structural properties of a design object". In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, such as consumer products, processes, laws, games and graphics, is referred to as a...
, and illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
as well. He likes to use visual paradox
Paradox
Similar to Circular reasoning, A paradox is a seemingly true statement or group of statements that lead to a contradiction or a situation which seems to defy logic or intuition...
, double meaning images and illusionistic approaches while following traditional printing techniques such as woodcutting and etching
Etching
Etching is the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio in the metal...
. He also tries to renew the technique of anamorphosis
Anamorphosis
Anamorphosis or anamorphism may refer to any of the following:*Anamorphosis, in art, the representation of an object as seen, for instance, altered by reflection in a mirror...
. He is a regular participant in the major international biennials of posters and graphic art and his works has been shown in individual and group exhibitions in Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
and abroad. Film director at the PannóniaFilm
PannóniaFilm
Pannonia Film Studio is the largest animation studio in Hungary, based in the capital of Budapest.-History:...
Studio in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, Habil. professor at University of West Hungary
University of West Hungary
The main campus of the University of West Hungary is located in Sopron.-Colleges:* College of Apáczai Csere János Teacher Training College in Győr* College of Benedek Elek College of Pedagogy in Sopron* College of Forestry in Sopron...
in Sopron
Sopron
In 1910 Sopron had 33,932 inhabitants . Religions: 64.1% Roman Catholic, 27.8% Lutheran, 6.6% Jewish, 1.2% Calvinist, 0.3% other. In 2001 the city had 56,125 inhabitants...
, co-founder of Hungarian Poster Association, member of Alliance Graphique International (AGI) and Hungarian Art Academie. He often uses OYTIΣ, or Utisz
Utisz
Outis is an often used pseudonym. Artists, writers and others in public life use this pseudonym in order to hide their identity.- Origin of the name :...
, (No one) as artist's pseudonym.
Quotes
- "Utisz - It was the Homeric hero Odysseus, who fought the CyclopsCyclopsA cyclops , in Greek mythology and later Roman mythology, was a member of a primordial race of giants, each with a single eye in the middle of his forehead...
, had used this name, and had put out the monster's eye. I imagine that poster is nothing else but an Odysseus' gesture: some kind of attack upon the eye".
- "If you want to create a poster try to explain your idea in a sentence. Then try to reduce it, leave out phrases, attributes until you just have the bare essentials. When you do not need any letter at all you are ready with the poster".
- "... When I have drawn these impossible objects, I did hope everybody would understand my intention, the intention of a Hungarian designer at the end of the 20th century who does not tell the truth just in order to be caught in the act."'
- "There are things I can imagine and I can draw. There are things I can imagine but I cannot draw. But, could I draw something that I cannot imagine? That interests me greatly."
Introduction by Guy D'Obonner
During the last two decades - when most of the works shown here were made – the activities of the posterPoster
A poster is any piece of printed paper designed to be attached to a wall or vertical surface. Typically posters include both textual and graphic elements, although a poster may be either wholly graphical or wholly text. Posters are designed to be both eye-catching and informative. Posters may be...
designer
Designer
A designer is a person who designs. More formally, a designer is an agent that "specifies the structural properties of a design object". In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, such as consumer products, processes, laws, games and graphics, is referred to as a...
, the printmaker, the illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
, and the film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
have completed each other. Many motive, stylistic features, technical solutions appeared in all of the media and for Orosz it seemingly did not cause any problem to cross the borders of the different genres. When he was drawing a poster usually he did it with the preciseness of illustrators, when he was illustrating a book, he did it with the narrative mood of filmmakers, if he was animating films, sometimes he used the several layers approach of etchers and engravers and for prints he often chose the emblematic simplifying way of depiction of posters. If we call him only a poster designer based on his functional prints, we narrow down his field of activity, we go closer to the truth if we associate him with „postering" as a way of thinking, or if we call his many sided image depicting ourselves and our age as the poster-mirror of István Orosz. (Guy d'Obonner: Transfiguration of Poster - detail)
His poster art
István Orosz was known as posterPoster
A poster is any piece of printed paper designed to be attached to a wall or vertical surface. Typically posters include both textual and graphic elements, although a poster may be either wholly graphical or wholly text. Posters are designed to be both eye-catching and informative. Posters may be...
designer
Designer
A designer is a person who designs. More formally, a designer is an agent that "specifies the structural properties of a design object". In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, such as consumer products, processes, laws, games and graphics, is referred to as a...
in the first part of his career. He made mainly cultural posters for theatres, movies, galleries, museums and publishing houses At the time of the revolutions of 1989
Revolutions of 1989
The Revolutions of 1989 were the revolutions which overthrew the communist regimes in various Central and Eastern European countries.The events began in Poland in 1989, and continued in Hungary, East Germany, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia and...
in Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
he drew some political posters too. His "Tovarishi Adieu" (also used with text "Tovarishi Koniec" – that means Comrade
Comrade
Comrade means "friend", "colleague", or "ally". The word comes from French camarade. The term is frequently used by left-wing organizations around the globe. "Comrade" has often become a stock phrase and form of address. This word has its regional equivalents available in many...
s it is over) appeared in many countries and it was known as symbolic image of changes in the area.
His anamorphoses
Artists who design anamorphosisAnamorphosis
Anamorphosis or anamorphism may refer to any of the following:*Anamorphosis, in art, the representation of an object as seen, for instance, altered by reflection in a mirror...
(anamorphosis is Greek for "re-transformation") play with perspective to create a distorted image that appears normal only when viewed from the correct angle or with the aid of curved mirrors.
The technique was often used by Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
-era artists.
Orosz tries to renew the technique of anamorphosis and his aim is to develop it as well when he gives a meaning to the distorted image, too. It is not an amorph picture any more, but a meaningful depiction that is independent from the result that appears in the mirror
or viewed from a special point of view.
This approach of anamorphoses is suitable for expressing more sophisticated messages, and it fits to show more amusing fun.
Exhibitions
- 1997 ChicagoChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, I Space Gallery - 1997 ThessalonikiThessalonikiThessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
, Aristotelian University - 1998 Bethlehem, PennsylvaniaBethlehem, PennsylvaniaBethlehem is a city in Lehigh and Northampton Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 74,982, making it the seventh largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie,...
, (Payne Gallery, Moravian College) - 2000 SilkeborgSilkeborgSilkeborg is a city in central Denmark. Located in Silkeborg municipality in Jutland, the city has a population of 42,724 . The development of Silkeborg as a modern city may be traced to the foundation of the paper mill by Michael Drewsen on the Gudenaa in 1844...
, Kunst Center - 2000 IstanbulIstanbulIstanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, Bilgi Üniversitesi - 2002 BratislavaBratislavaBratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
, Slovenska Narodná Galeria - 2004 ToruńTorunToruń is an ancient city in northern Poland, on the Vistula River. Its population is more than 205,934 as of June 2009. Toruń is one of the oldest cities in Poland. The medieval old town of Toruń is the birthplace of the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus....
, Galeria Sztuki Wozownia - 2004 The HagueThe HagueThe Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
, Escher MuseumEscher MuseumThe Escher Museum is a museum in The Hague, The Netherlands, featuring the works of the Dutch graphical artist M. C. Escher. This museum opened on 16 November 2002.... - 2006 BudapestBudapestBudapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, Ernst Museum - 2007 EssenEssen- Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...
, Grillo Theater - 2008 JorwertJorwertJorwert is a village in Friesland,in the municipality of Littenseradiel, with a population of 360. The nickname for inhabitants of Jorwert is "Dweilstikken", meaning poor people who are dependent of rich ones...
, Reformed Church - 2009 MelbourneMelbourneMelbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Glen Eira City Council Gallery - 2009 TMDG2009, Argentina Mar del Plata
Films
- 1977 Silence
- 1978 Towards to the Salt Celler
- 1980 Private Nightmare
- 1984 Ah, America!
- 1989 Mind the Steps!
- 1993 The Garden
- 1995 Cry!
- 2001 Black Hole - White Hole
- 2004 Time Sights
- 2008 Mazes
Awards
- 1990 Gold Medal at the Biennial of Graphic Design, BrnoBrnoBrno by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District...
- 1991 First Prize at the International Poster Biennial, LahtiLahtiLahti is a city and municipality in Finland.Lahti is the capital of the Päijänne Tavastia region. It is situated on a bay at the southern end of lake Vesijärvi about north-east of the capital Helsinki...
- 1991 Main Prize of „Mediawave" Film Festival, GyőrGyor-Climate:-Main sights:The ancient core of the city is Káptalan Hill at the confluence of three rivers: the Danube, Rába and Rábca. Püspökvár, the residence of Győr’s bishops can be easily recognised by its incomplete tower. Győr’s oldest buildings are the 13th-century dwelling tower and the...
- 1994 IcogradaIcogradaInternational Council of Graphic Design Associations was founded in London in 1963. Icograda is the world body for professional communication design and visual communication. Icograda network members include professional organisations, design promotion bodies, design media and design education...
-prize at the International Poster Show, ChaumontChaumont-France:* Chaumont-Porcien, in the Ardennes département* Chaumont, Cher, in the Cher département* Chaumont-le-Bois, in the Côte-d'Or département* Arrondissement of Chaumont, in the Haute-Marne département... - 2000 Creative Distinction Award of European Design Annual, Dublin
- 2001 Gold medal at the Annual Exhibition of Society of IllustratorsSociety of IllustratorsThe Society of Illustrators is a professional society based in New York City. Founded in 1901, the mission of the Society is to promote the art and appreciation of illustration, as well as its history...
, New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east... - 2005 Main Prize of the KAFF Animated Film Festival, KecskemétKecskemétKecskemét is a city in the central part of Hungary. It is the 8th largest city of the country, and the county seat of Bács-Kiskun.Kecskemét lies halfway between the capital Budapest and the country's third-largest city, Szeged, 86 kilometres from both of them and almost equal distance from the two...
- 2007 Pro Ludo Ring, BudapestBudapestBudapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
- 2007 Plakat Kunst Hof Ruettenscheid Prize, EssenEssen- Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...
Books
- OYTIΣ - Orosz István. Balassi Kiadó, Budapest, 1994.
- István Orosz, Exhibition Book, Hammerpress – GrafikArchive, Kansas City, 1998.
- Vladislav Rostoka: István Orosz / Posters. Rabbit&Solution, Bratislava, 2002.
- Al SeckelAl SeckelAl Seckel is an American authority on visual and other types of sensory illusions, and how they relate to perception. Seckel collects, researches, and experiments with illusions to understand what conditions are necessary for them to work, with particular focus on how they can be explained in...
: Masters of Deception Sterling Publishing Co. New York, 2004. - Deep Down - István Orosz. Catalogue of the "Orosz bij EscherM. C. EscherMaurits Cornelis Escher , usually referred to as M. C. Escher , was a Dutch graphic artist. He is known for his often mathematically inspired woodcuts, lithographs, and mezzotints...
" exhibition, The Hague, 2004. - Clouds for PoloniusPoloniusPolonius is a character in William Shakespeare's Hamlet. He is King Claudius's chief counsellor, and the father of Ophelia and Laertes. Polonius connives with Claudius to spy on Hamlet...
. Ernst Múzeum, Budapest, 2006. - István Orosz: Vision of Design. Index Books / Hesign, Berlin - Shanghai, 2007.
- István Orosz: The Ambassador and the Pharaoh - Tipotex, Budapest, 2011.
External links
- Website of István Orosz
- István Orosz in Gallery Diabolus
- Poster book of István Orosz
- Time Sights animated film
- Mind the Steps! animated film
- Anamorphoses
- Marlena Agency
- AGI
- Math Art
- Perspective Exhibition
- Masters of Deception
- Exhibition Book
- Istvan Orosz and the Illusion of the Visual Enigma
- His article in the book: M. C. Escher's Legacy
- István Orosz in ArtaBase
- Istvan Orosz in Artfacts