I would like to introduce to you an accomplished Rusyn [ Lemko from Slovakia ] painter from Presov, Slovakia, and samples of his paintings.

Andrej Gaj Presov, Slovakia ( 1995 )

Хоць Русинска оброда 25. марца 1995 святковала свiй пятьрiчный юбiлей, iз пiдхоплiнём i розвитком русиньского вытварного уменя ся зачала aктiвнiшe занимати аж в 1993 роцi, кедь у маю в польскiй Кринiцi зорганiзовала першу выставку Пряшiвскы Русиньскы малярi. Тов выставков Русиньска oброда хотiла збогатити културный програм II. Свiтового конгресу Русинiв, але i културный жывот на Словеньску, бо потiм тота выставка была i в Снинi, ╡yмeннiм i Пряшовi. В такых кoлектiвных , але i в персоналных выставках хоче органазацая Русинiв Словеньска продовжовати i в будучнoсти , а же то думать серьёезно, свiдчiнёем того е i теперiшня выставка знамого русиньского маляря Андрiя Гая в Пряшовi. Русиньска оборода кажды два рокы плануе робити i пленеры, де будуть позываны русиньскы малярi а все i ╓ден гость iншой народности.
А. Зозуляк
A. Zozulyak
[ Head of Rusinska Obroda, Presov ]

Exhibit held at
Vlastivedne Museum, Presov
April 24 - June 4, 1995:

The exposition is a retrospect of my hitherto work- I take it as a kind of hindsight which enables me to assess my work - its success and failures in terms of my ability to address the public, and in terms of the technical and professional level of my paintings.
My working activities have always been inspired by the region where l was born and where I live, and confronted with our and foreign works of art.
Since this exhibition is intended to provide a survey of my works from 1960 through 1995, 1 asked the commissioners of some of my previous exhibitions for permission to present fragments of their appraisals.

Suffering. oil, 1991. ...The displayed paintings are marked with an intrinsic relation to reality, actual experience and its cultivated artistic transformation. The author avoids prolix descriptions, and attempts at condensation focused on the essence of depicted events. The emotional facet of expression is highlighted by the reduction of colour spectrum. ln addition, author's drawing structure reveals his purposeful effort to make use of structural components in support of eventual impression of his work. I. Grosko, Kosice, 1982

...The emotion of intimately toned paintings is reproduced by A. Gaj through sensitively conceived colors which, based on author's condensed manuscript, eliminate length and description of their readibility. So much of his work reflects the essence of perceptions which enable the observer to verify objective truths...
M. Gabon,
Presov, 1957

Girl with a Puppet, oil 1983

Prayer, oil 1993

Song, oil 1992

...Another typical feature of Gaj's artistic nature is the strength of his monumental-decorative accent even in his intimate paintings - in their compositional layout, condensation of figures, stylization, and/or manuscript weight. Author's sense of monumental-decorative effects of gestures, consistently axial compositions and additively ordered figures, in combination with the basic red and yellow dyad, with additional blue or green colors, are chiefly applied to figural compositions reflecting significant historical events, or symbolic compositions of maternity, victory, heroism, or lore...
M. Hrebickova,
Presov, 1987

Andrej is assisted by

his daugher, Anna Gajova, and

son-in-law, Rastislav Mravec

...The resulting picture is created in gradual transformation of primary inspiration impulses which pass through a sieve of maturity. Gaj's works of art are not mere paintings, at the same time, they express specific objectives. A well thought-out composition of his best works represents a harmony of an idea, forms and colors. As once put by the author himself, in each task dealt with, he emphasizes the drawing which enables him to find a definite form or rhythm. This is typical of both Gaj's paintings and monumental mosaic works related to architecture. If it were possible to display all Gaj's best works at one place, the spiral of his search within several favorite themes would be even more striking. Moreover, one would be able to follow his gradual and necessary transition from paintings immediately related to specific reality to works with underlying philosophical considerations. Certainly, this development is accompanied with changes concerning the variety of color - from earthy colours to accords of blue, red and yellow.
V. Greslik, Kosice, 1986

Andrej Gaj
Zahradna 24
08001 Presov
Slovakia

Thanks go to Jan Lipinsky of Bratislava, for providing me with the original material.