István Orosz (born 24 October 1951) is a Hungarian painter, printmaker,

graphic designer A graphic designer is a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who assembles together images, typography, or motion graphics to create a piece of design. A graphic designer creates the graphics primarily for published, ...

and animated film director. He is known for his mathematically inspired works,

impossible objects An impossible object (also known as an impossible figure or an undecidable figure) is a type of optical illusion that consists of a two- dimensional figure which is instantly and naturally understood as representing a projection of a three-d ...

optical illusions Within visual perception, an optical illusion (also called a visual illusion) is an illusion caused by the visual system and characterized by a visual percept that arguably appears to differ from reality. Illusions come in a wide variety; thei ...

, double-meaning images and anamorphoses. The geometric art of István Orosz, with forced perspectives and optical illusions, has been compared to works by

M. C. Escher Maurits Cornelis Escher (; 17 June 1898 – 27 March 1972) was a Dutch graphic artist who made mathematically inspired woodcuts, lithographs, and mezzotints. Despite wide popular interest, Escher was for most of his life neglected in t ...

Biography

He was born in Kecskemét. He studied at the Hungarian University of Arts and Design (now

Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design The Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design (in Hungarian: Moholy-Nagy Művészeti Egyetem, MOME), former Hungarian University of Arts and Design, is located in Budapest, Hungary. Named after László Moholy-Nagy, the university offers programs ...

) in

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

as a pupil of István Balogh and

Ernő Rubik Ernő Rubik (; born 13 July 1944) commonly known by his nickname, "Little Man", is a Hungarian inventor, architect and professor of architecture. He is best known for the invention of mechanical puzzles including the Rubik's Cube (1974), Rubi ...

. After graduating in 1975 he began to deal with theatre as a stage designer and animated film as animator and film director. He is known as

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

printmaker Printmaking is the process of creating work of art, artworks by printing, normally on paper, but also on fabric, wood, metal, and other surfaces. "Traditional printmaking" normally covers only the process of creating prints using a hand proce ...

poster A poster is a large sheet that is placed either on a public space to promote something or on a wall as decoration. Typically, posters include both typography, textual and graphic elements, although a poster may be either wholly graphical or w ...

designer, and

illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicat ...

as well. He likes to use visual paradox, double meaning images, and illusionistic approaches while following traditional printing techniques such as woodcutting and etching. He also tries to renew the technique of

anamorphosis Anamorphosis is a distorted projection requiring the viewer to occupy a specific vantage point, use special devices, or both to view a recognizable image. It is used in painting, photography, sculpture and installation, toys, and film special e ...

. He is a regular participant in the major international biennials of posters and graphic art and his works have been shown in individual and group exhibitions in

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

and abroad. Film director at the

PannóniaFilm Pannonia Film Studio (also known as MAFILM Pannónia Filmstúdió) was the largest animation studio in Hungary, based in the capital of Budapest. It was formed in 1951, becoming independent in 1957. The studio is said to have closed sometime arou ...

Studio in Budapest, Habil. professor at

University of West Hungary The main campus of the University of Sopron ( Soproni Egyetem, abbreviated SOE) is located in Sopron, Hungary. The school traces its roots to 1735.

in Sopron, co-founder of

Hungarian Poster Association Hungarian may refer to: * Hungary, a country in Central Europe * Kingdom of Hungary, state of Hungary, existing between 1000 and 1946 * Hungarians, ethnic groups in Hungary * Hungarian algorithm, a polynomial time algorithm for solving the assignme ...

, member of

Alliance Graphique International Alliance Graphique Internationale (AGI) is a club of the world's leading graphic artists and designers. There are 527 members from 43 countries. Its members have been collectively responsible for the identity design of most of the world's top cor ...

(AGI) and Hungarian Art Academie. He often uses

ΟΥΤΙΣ Outis (a transliteration of the Ancient Greek pronoun = "nobody" or "no one") is an often used pseudonym that appeared famously in Classical Greek legends. Modern artists, writers, and others in public life have adopted the use of this pseudonym in ...

, or

Utisz Outis (a transliteration of the Ancient Greek pronoun = "nobody" or "no one") is an often used pseudonym that appeared famously in Classical Greek legends. Modern artists, writers, and others in public life have adopted the use of this pseudonym in ...

, (pronounced: outis) (No one) as artist's pseudonym.

Quotes

*''"Utisz - It was the Homeric hero Odysseus, who fought the

Cyclops In Greek mythology and later Roman mythology, the Cyclopes ( ; el, Κύκλωπες, ''Kýklōpes'', "Circle-eyes" or "Round-eyes"; singular Cyclops ; , ''Kýklōps'') are giant one-eyed creatures. Three groups of Cyclopes can be distinguish ...

, had used this name, and had put out the monster's eye. I imagine that poster is nothing else but an Odysseus' gesture: some kind of attack upon the eye".'' *''"If you want to create a poster try to explain your idea in a sentence. Then try to reduce it, leave out phrases, attributes until you just have the bare essentials. When you do not need any letter at all you are ready with the poster".'' *''"... When I have drawn these impossible objects, I did hope everybody would understand my intention, the intention of a Hungarian designer at the end of the 20th century who does not tell the truth just in order to be caught in the act."' *''"There are things I can imagine and I can draw. There are things I can imagine but I cannot draw. But, could I draw something that I cannot imagine? That interests me greatly."''

Introduction by Guy D'Obonner

During the last two decades – when most of the works shown here were made – the activities of the poster designer, the printmaker, the illustrator, and the film director have completed each other. Many motive, stylistic features, technical solutions appeared in all of the media and for Orosz it seemingly did not cause any problem to cross the borders of the different genres. When he was drawing a poster usually he did it with the preciseness of illustrators, when he was illustrating a book, he did it with the narrative mood of filmmakers, if he was animating films, sometimes he used the several layers approach of etchers and engravers and for prints he often chose the emblematic simplifying way of depiction of posters. If we call him only a poster designer based on his functional prints, we narrow down his field of activity, we go closer to the truth if we associate him with „postering" as a way of thinking, or if we call his many sided image depicting ourselves and our age as the poster-mirror of István Orosz. ''(

Guy d'Obonner Guy or GUY may refer to: Personal names * Guy (given name) * Guy (surname) * That Guy (...), the New Zealand street performer Leigh Hart Places * Guy, Alberta, a Canadian hamlet * Guy, Arkansas, US, a city * Guy, Indiana, US, an unincorpo ...

: Transfiguration of Poster - detail)''

Poster art

István Orosz was known as poster designer in the first part of his career. He made mainly cultural posters for theatres, movies, galleries, museums and publishing houses At the time of the

revolutions of 1989 The Revolutions of 1989, also known as the Fall of Communism, was a revolutionary wave that resulted in the end of most communist states in the world. Sometimes this revolutionary wave is also called the Fall of Nations or the Autumn of Natio ...

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russ ...

he drew some

political posters Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...

too. His "Tovarishi Adieu" (also used with text "Tovarishi Koniec" – that means

Comrade The term ''comrade'' (russian: товарищ, tovarisch) generally means 'mate', 'colleague', or 'ally', and derives from the Spanish and Portuguese, term , literally meaning 'chamber mate', from Latin , meaning 'chamber' or 'room'. It may also ...

s it is over) appeared in many countries and it was known as symbolic image of changes in the area.

His anamorphoses

Artists who design

(anamorphosis is Greek for "re-transformation") play with perspective to create a distorted image that appears normal only when viewed from the correct angle or with the aid of curved mirrors. The technique was often used by

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

-era artists. Orosz tries to renew the technique of anamorphosis and his aim is to develop it as well when he gives a meaning to the distorted image, too. It is not an amorph picture any more, but a meaningful depiction that is independent from the result that appears in the mirror or viewed from a special point of view. This approach of anamorphoses is suitable for expressing more sophisticated messages, and it fits to show more amusing fun.

Exhibitions

*1997

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, I Space Gallery *1997

Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area, and the capi ...

, Aristotelian University *1998

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Bethlehem is a city in Northampton and Lehigh Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, Bethlehem had a total population of 75,781. Of this, 55,639 were in Northampton County and 19, ...

, (Payne Gallery, Moravian College) *2000 Silkeborg, Kunst Center *2000

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

, Bilgi Üniversitesi *2002

Bratislava Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approxim ...

, Slovenska Narodná Galeria *2004

Toruń )'' , image_skyline = , image_caption = , image_flag = POL Toruń flag.svg , image_shield = POL Toruń COA.svg , nickname = City of Angels, Gingerbread city, Copernicus Town , pushpin_map = Kuyavian-Pom ...

, Galeria Sztuki Wozownia *2004

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...

Escher Museum Escher in Het Paleis (''Escher in The Palace'') is a museum in The Hague, Netherlands, featuring the works of the Dutch graphical artist M. C. Escher. It is housed in the Lange Voorhout Palace since November 2002. In 2015 it was revealed that ma ...

*2006

, Ernst Museum *2007

Essen Essen (; Latin: ''Assindia'') is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and D ...

, Grillo Theater *2008

Jorwert Jorwert ( nl, Jorwerd) is a village in Friesland, in the municipality of Leeuwarden, with a population of 342 in January 2017.

, Reformed Church *2009

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Glen Eira City Council Gallery *2009 TMDG2009, Argentina Mar del Plata *2010

Koller Gallery The Koller Gallery (founded in 1953) is the oldest private gallery of Hungary, situated in the Castle District of Budapest. At the top floor of the three storied atelier-house, there is a memorial room for the Hungarian artist Amerigo Tot. H ...

*2011: Kecskemét, Cifrapalota *2012: Győr, Esterházy-palota *2013:

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

, Sberbank Gallery *2013:

Brescia Brescia (, locally ; lmo, link=no, label= Lombard, Brèsa ; lat, Brixia; vec, Bressa) is a city and ''comune'' in the region of Lombardy, Northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Garda and Iseo. ...

, Galleria dell'Incisione *2014: Jyväskylä, Galleria Ratamo *2013–2014:

Ankara Ankara ( , ; ), historically known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5.1 million in its urban center and over 5.7 million in Ankara Province, maki ...

, Güler Sanat Gallery *2017:

Badacsony Badacsony () is the name of a region on the north shore of Lake Balaton in western Hungary, a mountain top and a town in that region. The nearby basalt mountains are unique geological relics, and the habitat of many rare plants and animals. Thes ...

, Egry József Múzeum

Films

*1977 "Silence" *1978 "Towards to the Salt Celler" *1980 "Private Nightmare" *1984 ''Ah, Amerika!'' ("Ah, America!") *1989 ''Vigyázat lépcső!'' ("Mind the Steps!") *1993 "The Garden" *1995 "Cry!" *2001 "Black Hole - White Hole" *2004 *2008 ''Útvesztők'' ("Mazes") *2010 Sakk! (Chess!) *2014 A rajzoló (The Drawer)

Awards

*1985 Best Script (shared with Ferenc Dániel) for ''Ah, Amerika!'' ("Ah, America!") at the 1st KAFF Animated Film Festival, Kecskemét. *1990 Gold Medal at the Biennial of Graphic Design,

Brno Brno ( , ; german: Brünn ) is a city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers, Brno has about 380,000 inhabitants, making it the second-largest city in the Czech Republic ...

*1991 First Prize at the International Poster Biennial,

Lahti Lahti (; sv, Lahtis) is a city and municipality in Finland. It is the capital of the region of Päijänne Tavastia (Päijät-Häme) and its growing region is one of the main economic hubs of Finland. Lahti is situated on a bay at the southern e ...

*1991 Main Prize of "Mediawave" Film Festival, Győr *1993 Award for the Category of Short Films for ''Vigyázat lépcső!'' ("Beware of Steps!") at the 3rd KAFF Animated Film Festival, Kecskemét. *1994 Icograda-prize at the International Poster Show,

Chaumont Chaumont can refer to: Places Belgium * Chaumont-Gistoux, a municipality in the province of Walloon Brabant France * Chaumont-Porcien, in the Ardennes ''département'' * Chaumont, Cher, in the Cher ''département'' * Chaumont-le-Bois, in the C� ...

*2000 Creative Distinction Award of European Design Annual,

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

*2001 Gold medal at the Annual Exhibition of Society of Illustrators,

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

*2005 Grand Prix and Award of Film and TV Critics (tied with Igor Lazin) for ''Az idő látképei'' ("Time Sights") at the 7th KAFF Animated Film Festival, Kecskemét. *2007 Pro Ludo Ring,

*2007 Plakat Kunst Hof Ruettenscheid Prize,

*2009 Special Award for Best Visual Language (tied with

Zoltán Szilágyi Varga Zoltán Szilágyi Varga (born 23 June 1951) is a Hungarian graphic artist and animation director. He has received Béla Balázs Prize for his work, and has been honored at five separate Kecskemét Animation Film Festivals (KAFF), winning two memor ...

) for ''Útvesztők'' ("Mazes") at the 9th KAFF Animated Film Festival, Kecskemét.
A 9. Kecskeméti Animációs Filmfesztivál és a 6. Nemzetközi Animációs Fesztivál díjai
' (English:
Awards
). Kecskeméti Animáció Film Fesztivál. 2009. *2011 Kossuth Award,

Books

*ΟΥΤΙΣ - Orosz István. Balassi Kiadó, Budapest, 1994. *István Orosz, . *Vladislav Rostoka
István Orosz / Posters. Rabbit&Solution, Bratislava, 2002.
*

Al Seckel Alfred Paul "Al" Seckel (September 3, 1958 – 2015) was an American collector and popularizer of Optical illusion, visual and other types of sensory illusions, who wrote books about them. Active in the Freethought movement as a Skepticism ...

: Masters of Deception Sterling Publishing Co. New York, 2004. *Deep Down - István Orosz. Catalogue of the "Orosz bij Escher" exhibition, The Hague, 2004. *Clouds for

Polonius Polonius is a character in William Shakespeare's play ''Hamlet''. He is chief counsellor of the play's ultimate villain, Claudius, and the father of Laertes and Ophelia. Generally regarded as wrong in every judgment he makes over the course of ...

. Ernst Múzeum, Budapest, 2006.
The Drawn Time (A lerajzolt idő), 2008.
*. *.
Book excerpt

Chess in the Island (Sakkparti a szigeten)
2015
A Rhino Remembered
2016
Time Sights (Az idő látképei)
2016.

Notes

External links

Website of István Orosz
*
Poster book of István Orosz
* * *
HyperionMarlena AgencyAGIMath ArtPerspective Exhibition
* *
His article in the book: M. C. Escher's LegacyExhibition catalogue: Istvan Orosz and Guntar Sietins
2016
István Orosz in ArtaBaseIstvan Orosz in Artfacts
{{DEFAULTSORT:Orosz, Istvan 1951 births Living people People from Kecskemét Hungarian painters Hungarian animators Hungarian illustrators Hungarian graphic designers Modern printmakers Hungarian printmakers Hungarian poster artists Mathematical artists Media Wave Award winners Hungarian animated film directors