Amalia Crisan: Romanian Artist Revisits Paul Klee’s Dadaism (1)

“Art does not reproduce the visible; rather, it makes visible”. Paul Klee

It has been almost 6 years since I visited Zentrum Paul Klee in Bern or passed by Cabaret Voltaire in Zurich. Back in Bern, I was eager to see Ad Parnassum on full display and some other painting on which I had written a paper. I discovered Paul Klee in high school back in Romania and was overwhelmed by the richness of his work.

Surprisingly for me, I rediscovered Paul Klee through the eyes and works of Amalia Crisan, a Romanian artist from Cluj-Napoca. I met Amalia Crisan on Saturday, October 26, 2013 at the Casino Center for Urban Culture in Cluj-Napoca. She was hosting her second art exhibition as a painter.

Paul Klee started sketching, drawing and painting at 7. Amalia Crisan started painting at 6. Now, she is barely 12 years old, yet she gladly welcomed me into her own universe infused with abstract echoes reminding me of Paul Klee and Gustav Klimt whereas some of her paintings are inspired by Impressionists like Claude Monet and neo-impressionists like Henri Matisse.

Amalia has never been to Zentrum Paul Klee in Bern, nor to Cabaret Voltaire in Zurich. Yet she is extremely familiar with the works of Paul Klee, the Bauhaus and Dada movement. The exhibition she was hosting was entitled DA-DA which speaks volumes of her art influences.

Amalia wishes some day to be able to exhibit her art in Bern (Switzerland) or Koln (Germany). She wants her art to transcend barriers and speak for itself outside Romania. And judging by the remarkable paintings she showed me on Saturday, her dream will definitely come true.

Upcoming Post: Interview with Amalia Crisan at DA-DA Art Exhibition, October 26, 2013 in Cluj-Napoca.