Ladislav Guderna — Revelation

This specific art work, as well as almost all other from Guderna’s oeuvre in the 80s of 20^th century, invites us into the imaginary world filled with surreal – real ideas, dreams and fantastic visions of an ephemeral world – his world, where the author’s alter ego found the meaning and beauty of extraordinary ordinariness experiencing the momentary. This was the space where he was able to present through his precise drawings and paintings exceptional moments of human existence surrounded by and involved into vertical and horizontal lines of mythical cathedrals.

In silence and awe we enter the segment of Roman Renaissance architecture exhaling mystery and history. Under the monumental arches in the left part of the work we can see outlines of bodies – silhouettes of individuals and couples in period costumes absorbed in discussions, quietly speaking not noticing the action, which the artist’s fantasy creates around them inadvertently. It is a painting within a painting. One world is virtual, with torsos of heads without bodies, a flying octopus above the port, the black sun or a planet hovering above the head of a young woman, a pedestal with a head in a black mask, a burning staring eye, hands – tentacles instead of ears, as if dividing these two worlds. Only a sprout of a green bean makes its way through, trying to survive, entering this visibly invisible world. Over the whole composition of the scene depicting the future there is a man – robot – robot – man placed again on the pedestal directing the world and its actions. The man – the crown of creation!???

Last year, in 2011, the Nitra Gallery and interested public commemorated 90^th anniversary of the birth of painter, print maker, illustrator and post stamp creator, Ladislav Guderna (1921 – 1999), the native from Nitra, who was one of the founders of Slovak surrealism. His paintings are typical for vivid colours and linear construction in line with the principles of surrealist poetics.

During the period of long 21 years (since 1968) when he lived as an immigrant in Canadian Toronto, Guderna, experiencing the everyday reality had made him stronger not only personally but also as an artist. In the new environment he continued and developed surrealist tendencies in his works and thus he started to belong among the most prominent representatives of the movement. Ladislav Guderna was active until last moments of his life. He always acknowledged his Slovak ancestry and Nitra as a birthplace. He died on October 7, 1999 in Vancouver, in Canada. Undoubtedly his works and poetics place him among the prominent world painters of 20^th century.