Order and chaos

In his paintings, Viktor Majdandzic tries to achieve a harmonious ensemble of order and chaos. The order arises from a set of geometrical shapes, sequences and variations, set up according to an inherent mathematical logic, like the Golden Section or the Fibonacci numbers. This parallels the organizational principle of many natural phenomena; the way cells divide, structures develop, and complexity arises, follows a set of fixed rules. As a result, the patterns on Majdandzic 's paintings often have striking similarities to structures found in biology.

At the same time, these natural processes are characterized by a degree of variation and irregularity. In the early works, chaos was introduced by using random numbers to create an irregularly iterating pattern. In recent works, the natural flow of the paint over the geometrical structures and the way previous layers of paint shine through the layers on top create the “unexpected”.

Elaborating on the structural analogy between his paintings and physical processes, Viktor Majdandzic describes his paintings as an instance of “geology on a single squared meter”, where natural processes such as crystallization, erosion, and sedimentation interact. Crystallization can be recognized in the geometric forms and the rules they obey; erosion and sedimentation are represented by the flows and the sprinkles of the paint.

Perception and beauty

In perceiving the world around us, our senses are continuously attempting to detect an underlying order in it. In this way, we can make predictions, and thus interact effectively and flexibly with our constantly changing environment. Thus, we are inclined to detect and appreciate predictable patterns - and at the same time our attention is drawn to irregularities. In fact, our need and preference for searching order may explain why we feel attracted to scenes in which a pattern can be discerned – but which contain erratic, “surprising” elements as well.

Is seems that art taps into this preference for both predictability and surprise. We are drawn to music - which strictly obeys certain rules concerning metre and pitch, but which at the same time must have an unexpected “surplus” in order to “swing”. Similarly, coincidence adds a sense of uniqueness to the fixed structure of a poem or a painting.

Thus, to Viktor Majdandzic, a painting is more than just a mathematical structure. It must possess balance, harmony and identity; the mathematical patterns have to “sing”. He achieves this by “unbiased” observation of the painting and (sometimes endlessly) adding new layers of paint and even new structures. In this intuitive process, the artist creates the constraints, after which the painting “creates itself”, by the flowing and merging of the layers of paint.

According to Viktor, nature has appointed two sentinels of life: the guardian angel of pleasure and the devil of pain. Art from the twentieth century has been enthralled by the devil of pain for too long, whilst the esthetic sold itself away. In his art, Majdandzic refuses to shun intrinsic beauty.

A tribute to science and individuality

Viktor Majdandzic refers to his recent paintings as “Icons for Darwin’s Cathedral“, inspired by the title of D.S. Wilson’s book “'Darwin's Cathedral. Evolution, Religion, and the Nature of Society”.

Here, “cathedral” is meant as a metaphor for science – a lasting, collective creation, that carries a “singing order of geometrics” in it, and is held together by laws of nature. On the other hand, the title honours the genius of Charles Darwin, founder of the evolution theory, a dynamic paradigm that is rooted in many converging scientific disciplines. Thus, Majdandzic’s icons celebrate the achievements of an outstanding individual – “the individual” being a minority that has been rigorously discriminated in the course of history.

Majdandzic dissociates himself from creating art works in the role of ritual objects or financial products. Rather than being guided by collective “fossils” like myths and rituals, the painter draws upon a collective background of scientific paradigms that have converged into a single system of mathematic laws and regularities.