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INSECTA INSECTA Physiognomy of tiny insects has been the subject of research for the sculptor Janko Petrovic over the last few years. But staying away from descriptive pretensions, Petrovic does not deal with identifying the animal world but inspired by the harmony of the natural, organic forms he observes and records the physiognomy and positions of these creatures so that he could, through gradual abstraction, reduce them to a distinctive sign. Through continuous construction of a pure expression sculpture his first solo exhibition of 'insectlike' creatures was created, reduced in the form and direct in the idea, and with it the sculptor clearly shows his comprehensive and articulated attitude as an author. Insects caught in an 'introspective' moment, with their wings bent down or bodies collected under the hardness of the shell, in a state of rest or a short calm, become something quite different from the primary association that they usually provoke. By monumentalizing such tiny creatures artist does not only delineate their external structure, firmness and elegance of armor and build, but suggests the inner, hidden dimensions, mood and the 'spirit' that these, like any other, creatures can have. Insects are , other than as the most numerous, through their ability to survive and adapt to various conditions of life, known as the most resistant creatures, so we could see them as creatures who keep in themselves the burden of remembering the history of human activity in the (non) compliance with the natural world. Regardless of the specifics of physiognomy, freeing all 'insectlike' forms from the redundancy of detail and concentrating power in the core, Petrovic achieves a high degree of clarity and persuasiveness of artistic expression acting primarily in cast aluminum. An important feature of the works is the relationship of closed and open shapes and surface profiles. Reduction in volume has led to playing with a laid down oval form of completely closed contours, which is sometimes gently dissolved suggesting a small gap between the wings, or a more articulated start of a wing movement. An additional effect lies in the soft-hard characteristics of the 'insectlike' forms, in the fine blend of the upper walls smooth as a tightened epidermis and in the energetically charged lower parts. The relationship of tense polished surfaces and roughly elaborated cut planes seems like a shell and a core, or a protective armor with wings that preserves the curled body of a small insect. Reflections on polished surfaces pull the viewer to detour around the objects searching for different angles of perception, for mobility and studying the changes of the form, and an interactive relation of sculpture to the space and the observer is also developing. With the same shaping force Petrovic acts in the other material, acrystal, in which realizes several of the 'insectlike’ figures. Through the relationship of 'polished' and 'scraped' poles he mimics in them the effect of polishing and cutting in the mass of aluminum, as well as the assimilation of the natural characteristics of insects. Putting the focus on a simple oval, and submitting to him all the details of an animal physiognomy, Petrovic realizes his 'insectlike' forms as sensual and rudimentary at the same time , yet monumental in a strong coherence of masses. By looking at them individually we can tell that in some of them the variance towards from the abstraction of motifs is more significant so they feel just like a reflex of an animal inspiration. If the name of the exibition was not directing us, maybe we even would not be able to define the connection to the objective world, which further accentuates the contemplative segment of these sculptures in their 'reticence', as if they want to remain anonymous. In a complete individualization of art practices the artists are relieved of the task to set up their art as a kind of a new beginning, in the plurality of orientations where each is possible because it exists, not because it managed to impose itself as relevant - the selection of the position from which to act is entirely left to the personal choice of the artist. Within the expanded boundaries of sculpture as a medium, Janko Petrovic self-consciously chose to position himself as a seeker for the original, archetypal power of the sculpting form. Thus, the vitality and strength of his sculptures appears primarily as the ability of a consistent and accurate implementation of a sculptural idea, than as a dimension required by the ideological framework of content.
Martina Marić
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