What inspires you as an abstract matter painter?
Bartos Saro: Abstract matter painting can draw from many different inspirations. In the case of my Syncope paintings, it’s music. Syncope is a frequently used stylistic means in music. The typical accent changes. We can hear it in jazz, which is my favorite form of music. I also draw from nature. Landscapes, I live by the sea, are an inspiration. But I am an abstract matter painter – not a landscape painter. Watching nature is only collecting experiences, motifs, patterns for creating a palette of colors or forms. It allows me to develop my creativity. And the picture itself. It’s emotions. For the artist, each painting is an abstract medium of presenting emotions.
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Your works show a lot of plasticity. It is matter painting, but not a typical one, is it?
Bartos Saro: Well, the plasticity of my paintings results from my unique painting technique. The texture of the paintings is vivid and very sensual. I create it by covering the painting base with various materials mixed with an acrylic binder. As an abstract matter painter, I am looking for new textures and structures. They allow you to achieve unique effects. Nature is the perfect inspiration. Tamed nature, because I want to influence every spot, every element of the picture.
And the composition? Is it as well “tamed”, I mean under control?
Bartos Saro: The picture is a well-thought-out closed whole. There must be nothing more in it, nothing less. In many paintings, the composition is created by applying accents. They are either in contrast with the entire surface of the image, or are made using other techniques or materials, such as metallic pigments. The picture flickers and changes depending on the viewing angle. Pictures made in this technique can be classified as “process painting”, they can also be classified as “op-art”. The composition consists of color, size, structure and texture.
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And emotions? How present are there in your art?
Bartos Saro: As an abstract matter painter, I focus on emotions. The very surface of the painting allows it to reflect the character of the work. However, more important are my experiences and thoughts that I want to convey. In my works, I present dynamics and movement, light and matter. But most of all, moods, states of mind, feelings of the moment and emotions. I love creating tension and drama. I believe there is spirit in matter. Abstract creativity is described by shapes and forms that reflect basic emotional experiences. I write them down in each of the pictures.
Your paintings are not “painted”. How are they made?
Bartos Saro: Thick layers of raw, often three-dimensional texture in the images are poured over, applied with tools that I create myself. Sand mixed with an acrylic binder allows for unique structures. The image then becomes three-dimensional. Touching it is also a sensual feeling that the recipient may enjoy. The senses stimulate emotions, create associations with past experiences. I translate it into the language of abstraction. And colors – often metallic, glossy glassy, fluorescent. The color palette deviates from the natural color gamut. I am looking for unique combinations. An abstract matter painter has an unlimited choice. He does not pretend to imitate reality, he creates a new world that is to stimulate, touch and inspire. Applying paint to the canvas is a secondary process. This can be done with any tool.
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What are you currently working on?
Bartos Saro: I am creating another series of paintings inspired by music. I envy the musicians that their works last over time. Time is part of the existence of music. Music flows, changes, surprises, returns. An abstract matter painter can try to reproduce time in a painting. I am looking for forms and techniques that will extend the time of contact with the image. Which will surprise the viewer and encourage him to study it longer. I want to use new materials and techniques to make the image change over time. To glow at night with the light of fluorescent dyes, to reflect warm morning light coming through the window, to shine illuminated by artificial light.
