As it is also the case of Chinese characters, the compositions of Ottó Szabó consist of two (or more) elements: the phonetic one, expressing how to pronounce the character and the meaning.
University of Tokaj - Tokaj-Hegyalja Egyetem, Eötvös utca 5-7.
10 February – 30 June 2022
As far as the art of Ottó Szabó is concerned, the meaning of his pictures is beyond the first impression, rather hidden in the deeper layers, in the background. It is a typical feature of his to process his emotions and interpretations; he tends to develop his open compositions all of a sudden, he adds something new to his images before each exhibition and invites the viewer to a joint session of philosophy.
As it is also the case of Chinese characters, the compositions of Ottó Szabó consist of two (or more) elements: the phonetic one, expressing how to pronounce the character and the meaning. The phonetic elements of Ottó Szabó are visually readable - this is the thing immediately visible, the thing that makes one stop in front of his works. The phonetic part is figurative - it can evoke a impression in a twinkling of an eye.
The semantic part is hidden deeper below. The semantic part is a kind of an Update: he analyses and processes the thrownness as defined by Heidegger, the eternal anxiety and sense of guilt, as laid down by Kierkegaard. The semantic part invites the recipient to a philosophic contemplation. The viewer, who stops in front of the work becomes a recipient when (s)he recognizes all of this.
