(Images courtesy by Julia Ann Charpentier)
By Julia Ann Charpentier
Since the days of Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock, and the modernists, finding an innovative artist is rare. Chicago artist Costel Iarca developed a unique application technique that makes his paintings three-dimensional. This patented method gives his abstract compositions depth and definition. He uses latex caulk and acrylic paint applied in layers to create texture. His signature style consists of cylindrical interwoven forms in waves and shapes. Iarca has a solo exhibition at the MacNider Art Museum in Mason City, Iowa, from November 20 to February 1.
Iarca studied art in Romania, nurturing his talent under suppression. He received political asylum in the U.S. in 1994. Like neurons that join body and soul, these threaded connectors represent the range of human emotion from happiness to sadness, resembling the wire that surrounded concentration camps – a symbol of the defunct Communist system.
"They surround people and don’t give them access to real freedom and impose on them a certain education, a certain level of culture," Iarca says in criticism of totalitarian regimes such as the former Soviet Union and Nazi Germany. "Today, it’s open, so people have more knowledge and more access to all backgrounds."
Iarca received his B.A. from the School of Popular Art in Tirgoviste in 1982, and then studied at the University of Theology in Transylvania. His background in religion enhances his work. "It’s everything – philosophy, metaphysics… more metaphysics than physics," he explains. "Behind all the lines, the waves, which cover everything, that’s the world of God. I create a symphony for the spirit."
He believes the soul is unfathomable, its secrets revealed only to the most perceptive. In a work of art, there is a representation comprehensible to insightful observers. "Man doesn’t know the deepness of his soul."
Iarca realizes he’s subjected to varied interpretation. "I leave the liberty of the people to take me as they want. I don’t force, because then what? I would be a dictator. People might come with a very harsh critic. Some… they love it."
Though he stresses that all masters worked to make a living, he clarifies that his passion motivates him. His paintings he compares to stories. "I don’t create that story just to sell it. I create that story because my spirit feels it, and I like the beauty of color, the movement."
Iarca wants to take his ground-breaking process to the top. "I’m at a turning point now. I discovered this technique and new things. Picasso was a painter, but before he started Cubism, he was nothing. What made Pollack famous was his dripping, not whatever he did."
Pacesetters learn from the past, but do not repeat. "Art is like a pyramid. Each artist came with his unique style like a brick. You might come with a new brick. You cannot say, ‘Look, me here, I’m the center of the world."
When Iarca paints, he brings life to a blank canvas. "You feel like you get lost in the universe. You’re in a prayer. You disconnect from earthly things, so you’re connected with the master of the universe."
Iarca always dreamed of having the ability to fly. Today, he lives his fantasy in the cosmos of his art… into Infinity.
For information, visit www.macniderart.org or call 641-421-3666. Visit Iarca’s website at: www.iarcagallery.com
Julia Ann Charpentier is a freelance writer and editor. You can contact the author at: juliacharpentier@aol.com
Since the days of Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock, and the modernists, finding an innovative artist is rare. Chicago artist Costel Iarca developed a unique application technique that makes his paintings three-dimensional. This patented method gives his abstract compositions depth and definition. He uses latex caulk and acrylic paint applied in layers to create texture. His signature style consists of cylindrical interwoven forms in waves and shapes. Iarca has a solo exhibition at the MacNider Art Museum in Mason City, Iowa, from November 20 to February 1.
Iarca studied art in Romania, nurturing his talent under suppression. He received political asylum in the U.S. in 1994. Like neurons that join body and soul, these threaded connectors represent the range of human emotion from happiness to sadness, resembling the wire that surrounded concentration camps – a symbol of the defunct Communist system.
"They surround people and don’t give them access to real freedom and impose on them a certain education, a certain level of culture," Iarca says in criticism of totalitarian regimes such as the former Soviet Union and Nazi Germany. "Today, it’s open, so people have more knowledge and more access to all backgrounds."
Iarca received his B.A. from the School of Popular Art in Tirgoviste in 1982, and then studied at the University of Theology in Transylvania. His background in religion enhances his work. "It’s everything – philosophy, metaphysics… more metaphysics than physics," he explains. "Behind all the lines, the waves, which cover everything, that’s the world of God. I create a symphony for the spirit."
He believes the soul is unfathomable, its secrets revealed only to the most perceptive. In a work of art, there is a representation comprehensible to insightful observers. "Man doesn’t know the deepness of his soul."
Iarca realizes he’s subjected to varied interpretation. "I leave the liberty of the people to take me as they want. I don’t force, because then what? I would be a dictator. People might come with a very harsh critic. Some… they love it."
Though he stresses that all masters worked to make a living, he clarifies that his passion motivates him. His paintings he compares to stories. "I don’t create that story just to sell it. I create that story because my spirit feels it, and I like the beauty of color, the movement."
Iarca wants to take his ground-breaking process to the top. "I’m at a turning point now. I discovered this technique and new things. Picasso was a painter, but before he started Cubism, he was nothing. What made Pollack famous was his dripping, not whatever he did."
Pacesetters learn from the past, but do not repeat. "Art is like a pyramid. Each artist came with his unique style like a brick. You might come with a new brick. You cannot say, ‘Look, me here, I’m the center of the world."
When Iarca paints, he brings life to a blank canvas. "You feel like you get lost in the universe. You’re in a prayer. You disconnect from earthly things, so you’re connected with the master of the universe."
Iarca always dreamed of having the ability to fly. Today, he lives his fantasy in the cosmos of his art… into Infinity.
For information, visit www.macniderart.org or call 641-421-3666. Visit Iarca’s website at: www.iarcagallery.com
Julia Ann Charpentier is a freelance writer and editor. You can contact the author at: juliacharpentier@aol.com