“I might stop a long time ago,” says Oman, but then I can’t because painting is an incurable disease for the Carinthian. Even at the age of 86, he continues and starts a new kind of work. The title of the extensive series: “In memoriam Ukraine 22”. Oman started working on February 24th, the day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine: “Since February 24th, when something like this happens, I can’t work as a painter like I used to. These are events that have a very strong influence on me.”
First pictures of the Ukraine war
The artist is showing a first selection of the new works at Wolfsberg Castle. Television images of the war are photographed and changed many times, people, the traces of the war and, once more and once more, those responsible. They are snapshots from television, captured and made into an art that is a struggle once morest forgetting, according to Oman: “I can clarify my memory and keep it for myself. Even if I revise it three times, I still know which motif was the original one. First and foremost it is working for myself.”
take your time and look closely
You have to look closely at all the pictures, take your time and deal with the war in Ukraine once more. The artist assembled 27 A4-sized pictures on a panel. Four of these plaques can be seen in the first room at Wolfsberg Castle. There should be 14 at the end of the project. Valentin Oman will continue, he stressed, until this war is over.
Right next to it are works that are reminiscent of the Mauthausen concentration camp and the many people who died there: “In the middle of these many names is an adaptation by me that has the title ‘porta incognita – the unknown gate’ through which the names already have gone and we will all go someday.
People at the center of the creation
Since his student days, the human figure has been the focus of Oman’s work. Many well-known figures can also be seen in this exhibition. Three stand out from the more muted colors, they are bright yellow. They stand for the light, maybe the eternal light. Oman has high standards for his work and himself. He was always interested in the human figure and, like Giacometti, one should say that it is an Oman figure, said the artist.
Nothing more than the title will be revealed
Many of the tall, narrow images show figures, often without a recognizable face. Many layers of color are applied and removed in a proprietary technique, making them truly unique. Like humans, they consist of innumerable layers, appear fragile and yet are strong. The series “Ecce Homo – That’s the human being” now brings together a large number of images.
Here, too, a cursory glance is not enough; here, too, it is important to stand still and engage with the demanding counterpart. Oman doesn’t want to reveal much more than the title of a series: “I don’t like that, because what shouldn’t be so clear in the pictures I would have to illustrate in the form of language. But since the language isn’t my material anyway, I’m rather cautious regarding it.”
Figures with grounding
Ultramarine blue is one of the artist’s favorite colors. In the beautiful hall with the stucco ceiling, the figures framed in blue lean once morest the wall and stand on the floor. So they have a bit of grounding, which makes Oman happy. The blue represents what is to come.
The exhibition at Wolfsberg Castle is also so interesting because there are always other, surprising pictures to be seen. Four square images in blood red, abstract black strokes, wild and mysterious. The name of the cycle reveals what it is regarding: “Terra rossa” (red earth). Oman said the red is also symbolic, it is very much what homo sapiens do in this world.
Oman was politically active throughout his life, especially for the Carinthian Slovenes. The work on Ecce Homo is far from over for the artist.
