MIHAI DRISCU (Catalogue of the 1983 Solo Exhibition)
The domain of the “small plastic art” Elena Hariga practises now is firstly characterized by dimensional autonomy. In other words, this type of sculpture cannot be included in the category of reduction, of the intermediary stage, of the clay model corresponding to something imagined at another scale. Of an implicit monumentality, these cycles suppose a profound meditation upon the theme of flight, nourished mainly by assiduously frequenting Lucian Blaga’s poetry. Undoubtedly, the freedom of expression and, simultaneously, the very subtle dosing of some references to artist’s former works make them surpass the condition of a plain plastic comment, the persistence of the reading impression being just the first imagistic impulse.
Most of Elena Hariga’s sculptures are genuine “metaphors of ascent,” rousing interest by their particularizing accent, that is, by their insistence on what Gaston Bachelard used to call pteropsychology, the imaginary revelation of the relationship wing-raising-arrow-purity-light included.
Let’s not forget: in archetypology, the wing, as ascensional device, is considered the flying capacity attribute, a symbolic means of rational purification; any raising is isomorphous to purification.
In Elena Hariga’s sculpture, bodies’ postural elan supposes different degrees of the antithetic register – barely, a “fall fulguration.” When adequating technique to purpose, we find the efficiency of the impressionistic modelling – the sentences proclaimed by the first representatives of the direction, “we are but the jokes of light,” “let’s forget the matter,” etc., had cosequences on artist’s praxis. The richness of the tactile properties, of the vibratile surfaces in contact with light, with condensations and contour settlement on all “faces” of the work, with fine adjustments and abstract “compressions” (similidrapes), is accompanied by an energetic “mutilation” of the figures brought to the stage of vestige (Apterous Victories, for exemple). The practice of “doublets” in terracotta and bronze, the same as negative, but different as expressive nuance in positive, proves a persevering research of the materials’ qualities.
We can state that artist’s imaginary experience has created the most adequate alloy between the orientated reading – Elena Hariga does not “find” accidentally, she “looks for” what she is interested in the universe of Lucian Blaga’s poetry – and Gilbert Durand’s generalizing poetic explanation: “… raising the dreams of rapidity, of ubiquity and of flight in front of time’s consuming speed.”
MIHAI DRISCU (catalogul expozitiei personale – 1983)
Domeniul ,,plasticii mici” practicate de Elena Hariga este caracterizat, in primul rand, de autonomia dimensionala. Cu alte cuvinte, acest tip de sculptura nu poate fi inclus in categoria reductiei, a stadiului intermediar, a machetei pentru ceva gandit la alta scara. De o monumentalitate continuta, implicita, ciclurile prezentate incorporeaza o indelunga meditatie asupra temei zborului, nutrita, in principal, de asidua frecventare a poeziei lui Blaga. Fara indoiala, prin libertatea de expresie 5i, simultan, prin foarte subtila dozare de referinte la operele trecutului, ele depasesc conditia simplului comentariu plastic, persistenta impresiei de lectura functionand doar ca prim declarator imagistic. Adevarate ,,metafore ale ascensiunii”, cele mai multe dintre sculpturile Elenei Hariga intereseaza prin accentul lor particularizator, adica prin insistenta asupra a ceea ce Gaston Bachelard numea pteropsihologie, cu deschiderea corespunzatoare, in imaginar, a legaturii aripa-inaltare-sageata-puritate-lumina.
Sa nu uitam: aripa, unealta ascensionala, atributul capacitatii de a zbura, este considerata in arhetipologie un mijloc de purificare rationala; orice inaltare este izomorfa unei purificari.
In sculptura Elenei Hariga, elanul postural al trupurilor presupune diferite grade ale registrului antitetic si, la limita, fulgeratia caderii. In planul adecvarii tehnicii la scop, constatam eficacitatea modelajului impresionist — cele proclamate de primii reprezentanti ai directiei ,,noi nu suntem decat glume ale luminii”, ,,sa facem uitata materia” etc. nu au ramas fara consecinte in practica artistica a autoarei. Bogatia proprietatilor tactile, a suprafetelor vibratile in contact cu lumina, cu precizari de contururi si condensari pe toate ,,fetele” lucrarilor, cu ajustari de finete si abstracte ,,compresii” (similidrapaje), este insotita de energice ,,mutilari” ale figurilor aduse la stadiul de vestigiu (Victoriile aptere, de exemplu). Practicarea ,,dublurilor” in teracota si bronz, aceleasi ca negativ, dar diferite ca nuanta expresiva in pozitiv, dovedeste o cercetare staruitoare a calitatilor materialelor. Putem afirma ca in experienta imaginara a artistei s-a produs aliajul eel mai potrivit intre lectura orientata – intelegem ca Elena Hariga nu ,,gaseste” intamplator, ci ,,cauta” ce o intereseaza in universul poeziei blagiene – si explicatia generalizatoare, de tonalitate poetica a lui Gilbert Durand: „… inaltand visele rapiditatii, ubicuitatii si zborului in calea fugii mistuitoare a timpului”.