Artist portrait - Creative people up close
Continuing our popular column, today we present one of, if not the most popular artist in our Gallery, Zoltan Benda. Read about his childhood, his love of music and his views on contemporary painting.
your thoughts on. We can get to know a little better the man whose pictures we love and collect so much.
- Please tell us a few words about your childhood.
I grew up in Hódmezővásárhely. I was exposed to impulses and emotional influences in two families, which laid the foundation for the development of my later passion-driven personality.
Even as a child I was captivated by the magic of colours, lights, environmental influences, especially music. My father was a very good draughtsman, especially of horses. It was a great wonder to me how he brought his creations to life with a pencil!
- When did you decide to become a painter? Do you remember your first painting?
At school, I was considered a good student. My favourite pastime with my friends in the afternoons was drawing comics. Here you could already guess who could do what. It was then that I had my first "successes". My first "painting" was done with watercolours, depicting my grandmother. I think she liked it... It was probably these experiences that led me to art.
- What is your relationship to music; which style do you like?
Music is my great love. Even as a small child, I was able to "perform" a tune that would appeal to others on any instrument I could get my hands on within a short time. Later, my parents enrolled me in the State Music School, where I first learned to play the drums and then the trumpet. Thanks to this, I was able to be a member of the town brass band for a long time, where I gained a lot of experience. Playing music with others is a wonderful, uplifting feeling. The love of music and the joy of playing an instrument has been an integral part of my life ever since.
As a moody person, I listen to a lot of popular music. I need to support the emotions I am feeling with the right harmonies or disharmonies. From Simon & Garfunkel to Tangerine Dream to Delta blues to very abstract electronic music, I am happy to "consume" anything, just as I please.
In the realm of classical music, for me, the two princes who give me the greatest pleasure are Chopin and Beethoven. They are the creators of the ever-changing light and shade, of the balance between romanticism and rationalism.
- Do you still play instruments?
Only on an amateur level, but I play guitar, synthesizer and since the birth of my grandson, our favourite instrument is the kalimba, which I will try to include him in the world of melodies. I do a lot of computer music editing. I really enjoy it because it has incredible potential.
- Let's change our art. Who are the artists you follow in and outside our gallery?
I think that visual arts and music are inseparable. Many of my fellow artists are active musicians, playing some kind of instrument. I have a great respect for the work of my painting contemporaries, many of whom inspire and impress me. The Vándorfény Gallery abounds with brilliant artists, in whom I see a deep dedication to the representation of images, a professional humility.
My great role model abroad is the elderly American painter Richard Schmid, whom I hold in very high regard, both in terms of his human and technical skills. I would love to have a long conversation with him, and not just about painting!
- Who is the artist who influences you most today?
I can definitely mention the art of Jeremy Mann. His paintings are the closest to the kind of imagery that I would like to achieve in a different way one day.
- How much time do you spend in your Studio?
This is my second home, so I spend a lot of time here. Especially since my daughters have flown the family nest. Ágnes is an excellent lawyer, Lilla is a clinical psychologist. I am very proud of them.
- Have you ever thought about painting in a completely different style? Abstract surreal etc....
I respect abstraction, the world of surrealism, if the artist is a virtuoso, dazzles, but does not inspire me as a creator.
- Your collectors and customers always emphasize that your paintings exude an incredible harmony and serenity, what do you think about that?
The audience of my paintings is likely to perceive in my work what I may sometimes lack, but I create it.
- What do you charge with? Where do you find inspiration?
We have been travelling a lot, visiting landscapes near and far, collecting experiences that might later become the subject of a painting.
- You like to depict nature. Do you like to paint outdoors in nature or do you prefer to paint in the studio?
I never paint outdoors, I filter the view through myself, maybe making small sketches. I record specific observations and details by taking photographs.
- What is your artistic credo? What is your goal with painting?
Painting for me is like making music. We have to know our limits and create according to them, but our spirit has to soar! My aim is to make people feel a little better about my paintings, and to honour them by buying one of my works!
Cover photo: Zoltán Benda - Silent Bay
To see more works by Zoltán Benda click here
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