Commentaries
In one of his songs "On the Road", Cvacho formulates: "I am a pilgrim from a bygone era, driven by thirst and desire. From now on, with my faith, I climb the path to knowledge..." This is how the artist describes himself, as he sees himself as a pilgrim and seeker on his life's journey. "I want to influence the reality of the contemporary world with my paintings. Instead of depression, gloom, negativity, violence and fear, I try to express positive emotions, beauty and harmony through my work. It is an effort to improve the mental state of today's people and it is also a return to the original purpose of art, which was to spiritually enrich people," says Igor Cvacho. Carrying knowledge of the past, he asks relevant questions about the present, the human condition and various emotional states. Cvacho is a poet who expresses himself not only through words and music, but also through written and visual art, capturing fantasy worlds on canvas and paper. Mythological themes intertwine with the real world and provide a glimpse into the depths of the soul. He mostly uses expressive colors combined with dynamic shapes and elements. He works primarily with acrylic on canvas, occasionally incorporating elements of assemblage. Another frequent theme is music, which stems from his experiences as a musician and composer. There is a strong element of storytelling in his contemporary paintings, combining epic content with lyrical language, in both abstract and more realistic works. This is undoubtedly due to the fact that words and music are inextricably linked to his paintings. «The content of my paintings is similar. I try to reveal spirituality through themes such as music, poetry, mythology and dream visions. In addition to being a visual artist, I am also a musician and I write my own poetry, so these themes are extremely close to me. In my work, visual art, music and song lyrics really come together into one harmonious whole...”, says the artist. Looking at his work, one might recall some of Georges Braque’s paintings. In his creative universe, Cvacho transcends the boundaries of painting.
Dr. Sophie Bien, curator, Gallery Women In Art, Zurich (2025)
In Igor Cvacho's graphics, there is a great deal of pictorial poetry, symbolism, philosophy and the psyche of the soul. It also includes people, the human body, portraits, nudes, and musical and historical inspirations. Suggestive graphic monologue and dialogue. Prints in brown and ocher monochromes and in muted, muted colors. Inner light and glow. Geometric signs and brilliant shape stylization and composition. The content includes dreams and reality, parables and messages. After graphics, chamber painting, illustration and also graphic design became the focal discipline. In addition, an old love and lasting relationship - music. Guitar, music, singing, lyrics. Concentrated crystallization of a polymusical personality. Unique in the generational and all-Slovak context and development since the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries. The range of inspirations for Igor Cvacho's paintings is wide. Igor Cvacho and his graphics and paintings present an artistic representation of the visible world and feelings - knowledge of the human and artistic soul. They have their artistic realism, symbolism, poetry and fantasy. Aesthetics, its modern visuals, but also poetry and music. They also contain the ethos of a person and an artist, as well as an up-to-date warning...
PhDr. Bohumír Bachratý, CSc., scholar of fine art, curator, (2024)
Thanks for the gallery of your pictures. They captivated me with their dazzling colors, explosion of ideas and harmonizing composition. I like them all, including etchings... they caress my soul and cheer my mind. Concert, Hot jazz, Music, Flying horses, Baroque, but also the Nest, Timekeepers and...Three Kings. The Three Kings are actually three wise men from the East, but in your image, in the chosen colors and in their dynamism - their ride is royal - they enter God's glory.
Brigita Kopp, playwright,Toronto, (2022)
Real dreams and dreamy reality (sequence)
In Igor Cvacho’s co-ordinate of space a lot of phenomena exist, live and operates, bindings relations and correlations, which are initiate, motivation and pledge him to the liberal creation. The inspiration of this creation historically and spiritually starts by the so called primeval age of feeling and reach from the message of antic up to today’s post modern.
Triangles, squares, circles and spirals – something derived from the sun, moon and stares. Something what is laying deep in human consciousness. These are Froid´s pointed signs, which penetrate and operate like a man’s principle. There are also a woman’s abyss – depths, which we can find in her lights and shadows, and which attract us up to the bottom of these abyss.
Ph.D. Bohumir Bachraty- scholar of fine art / Bratislava / August 2008
A pilgrim on the creative way
“I am a pilgrim from the era of the past / driven by thirst and longing /henceforward with my belief / I am ascending to the way of knowing... “ This quatrains from the title composition of Igor Cvacho´s CD entitled “Na ceste” ,which means ON THE WAY, is somewhat like his short, but cogent portrait. For as much as in the following lines should be about a design of his creative way, thirst and longing, in this case, he carves onto the graphic plate or paints on canvas. Igor Cvacho is a real pilgrim. A pilgrim to painted stories, which were narrated by old Celts or by the Mayans and which about many years later as a clean sediment of human recollection appeared on his graphics and paintings. It would be too easy to write, that a triangle, half moon, otherworldly ciphers and never ending labyrinths are only present reflex of already-narrated and portrayed. It is the vice versa, the resource from the past are only the means to authentic experience. They are the endeavours for harmony and tension and the use of exact coloured and shaped counterpoints. As if Igor Cvacho weighed everything in a pharmaceutical balance. It is not more, neither less to anyone. The king in a novel of Czech writer Jan Werich would say that it is average. All artistic components are set to optimal picture and clear utterance.
Nostalgia, melancholy, flair coherency, silent drama, but also dance over life – these are all feelings that evoke the author´s paintings. Their sensational dispersal is as wide as the interpretation of his signs and symbols. It is an intolerably easy chess game called “life”, but it is also an attractive game which is viewed by the viewers.
Igor Cvacho´s way is about continuity. Practically, he let himself serve to say that without tectonic turning point which would wildly change his language of art. However, this does not mean that it would pertain to stilly flowing river, on the bank of which an idyllic poem describing the life in the countryside is being enacted. However, the author smoothen all possible wild current of water to cultivated compositions which have their own logic of development. And so, Igor Cvacho, beyond no doubt, ranks among the best in the contemporary Slovak graphics and creative scene. However, he has known that it is needed to ascend up to the way of knowing. Only this can fulfil his creative way.
Ludo Petransky jr. – scholar of fine art / 2010