(Images courtesy of Julia Ann Charpentier)
By Julia Ann Charpentier
Costel Iarca knows what it’s like to suffer oppression, survive to talk about his bad experiences, and go on to thrive in America, a country that encourages freedom of expression. In former Communist Romania this vibrant man lived in the closet as an artist, studying the European masters, nurturing his talent under suppression, and learning his trade in an environment that stifled his creativity until 1989 when the Soviet bloc crumbled. These changes did not take place overnight, and their society went through a difficult period of upheaval. He received political asylum in the U.S. in 1994, emigrating with a greater awareness of the differences between East and West culture and remembering the smothering presence of totalitarian government.
While living in Romania he loved the trademarks of American society. In the end, he chose to leave his native land, and today Iarca is a U.S. citizen. He considers himself blessed.
Iarca earned international acclaim for a patented application technique that makes his canvases textured and three-dimensional. By applying latex caulk and acrylic paint in layers, he creates a unique raised effect with depth and clarity. The surface can be made to resemble fabric or other materials in figurative and abstract depictions. His method has never been done.
Since 1998 his work has been exhibited throughout Chicago, where he’s operated several of his own galleries. His paintings have been displayed in New York and Palm Desert, California. His last exhibition was at the MacNider Art Museum in Mason City, Iowa. An exhibition at the Andrews Art Museum in North Carolina runs until June 30, 2009.
Iarca is an intuitive artist. He paints with emotion. Then he incorporates figural elements into his work and applies as many as twenty layers of color. Images that have remained in the subconscious mind may emerge in the process of creation. He veers toward the romantic, opposed to the classical, while favoring odd numbers and using symbols from chemistry, music, and literature in striking patterns. Though people often assume that abstract art is not censored or rational, Iarca stresses that conscious decisions are present throughout the process.
"Sometimes you see things that you never intended to see," he explains. "Sometimes it’s something magic. It appears there. It’s like some painters next to the invisible help you, but at the same time, you have to think. You have to look at what happened there by accident. You take it, and you develop a different level."
Though he values freedom of speech, he finds abhorrent those creative people who intentionally provoke negative reactions just to make a statement. He believes it’s important to instill hope, not despair. "The artist… the writer… the poet… educate people to love each other, not to destroy, to create negative things."
Today Costel Iarca is living his dream and savoring artistic freedom.
For information contact Annette Rawlings, director of the Andrews Art Museum, at: 828-361-8602. Visit the artist’s website at www.iarcagallery.com
Julia Ann Charpentier is a freelance writer and editor. Contact the author at: juliacharpentier@aol.com
Costel Iarca knows what it’s like to suffer oppression, survive to talk about his bad experiences, and go on to thrive in America, a country that encourages freedom of expression. In former Communist Romania this vibrant man lived in the closet as an artist, studying the European masters, nurturing his talent under suppression, and learning his trade in an environment that stifled his creativity until 1989 when the Soviet bloc crumbled. These changes did not take place overnight, and their society went through a difficult period of upheaval. He received political asylum in the U.S. in 1994, emigrating with a greater awareness of the differences between East and West culture and remembering the smothering presence of totalitarian government.
While living in Romania he loved the trademarks of American society. In the end, he chose to leave his native land, and today Iarca is a U.S. citizen. He considers himself blessed.
Iarca earned international acclaim for a patented application technique that makes his canvases textured and three-dimensional. By applying latex caulk and acrylic paint in layers, he creates a unique raised effect with depth and clarity. The surface can be made to resemble fabric or other materials in figurative and abstract depictions. His method has never been done.
Since 1998 his work has been exhibited throughout Chicago, where he’s operated several of his own galleries. His paintings have been displayed in New York and Palm Desert, California. His last exhibition was at the MacNider Art Museum in Mason City, Iowa. An exhibition at the Andrews Art Museum in North Carolina runs until June 30, 2009.
Iarca is an intuitive artist. He paints with emotion. Then he incorporates figural elements into his work and applies as many as twenty layers of color. Images that have remained in the subconscious mind may emerge in the process of creation. He veers toward the romantic, opposed to the classical, while favoring odd numbers and using symbols from chemistry, music, and literature in striking patterns. Though people often assume that abstract art is not censored or rational, Iarca stresses that conscious decisions are present throughout the process.
"Sometimes you see things that you never intended to see," he explains. "Sometimes it’s something magic. It appears there. It’s like some painters next to the invisible help you, but at the same time, you have to think. You have to look at what happened there by accident. You take it, and you develop a different level."
Though he values freedom of speech, he finds abhorrent those creative people who intentionally provoke negative reactions just to make a statement. He believes it’s important to instill hope, not despair. "The artist… the writer… the poet… educate people to love each other, not to destroy, to create negative things."
Today Costel Iarca is living his dream and savoring artistic freedom.
For information contact Annette Rawlings, director of the Andrews Art Museum, at: 828-361-8602. Visit the artist’s website at www.iarcagallery.com
Julia Ann Charpentier is a freelance writer and editor. Contact the author at: juliacharpentier@aol.com