It is a pleasure to read about Istvan Bodocsky’s 40 year journey through the art world in his new book Traumdetung (giving meaning to dreams). It contains a breathtaking gallery of Istvan’s work, but also seeks to explain his artistic progression towards kites. Many of Istvan’s ideas of “hidden symmetry” are explained by essayist Hedvig Turai’s analysis of his career. Turai emphasizes Bodocsky’s active family life and his role as stay-at-home-artist/father, and characterizes Bodocsky as a “male feminist”. He had the ability to keep teaching, his private life, kiting, and painting separate, but Turai makes the point that the simple question, “what did the pictures want?”, changed Bodocsky’s art. The picture wanted to fly and the picture could fly.
It is always interesting to read what others write about friends, and for those of us in the kite world this is a chance to learn more about Istvan. I feel lucky to know more about Istvan, his life, his philosophy, and his art, but the value in this new book is to put images together with Istvan’s artistic thoughts. We see more in the man, and more in his art.
Paperback/Color
ISBN 963-9279-65-X
96 pages |