For Emy n.4

Painted in 2012, For Emy n.4 concludes the series For Emy, a series of four large panels that represents one of the most comprehensive expressions of the calligraphic exploration developed by Kende in the early years of his contemporary artistic career.

With its monumental scale, the work transforms the urban sign into a physical and architectural presence. The writing extends beyond its linguistic function, becoming structure, rhythm and spatial composition. The calligraphic forms emerge, overlap and disappear within a complex surface where every trace retains the memory of the gesture that created it.

In this fourth panel, the composition achieves a distinctive formal maturity. The layers of texture, the glazes and the gestural touches interact in perfect balance, creating a surface that invites a slow and gradual appreciation. From a distance, the work appears as a single visual entity; up close, however, it reveals a multitude of details, erasures and calligraphic fragments that bear witness to the creative process.

As the final instalment in the series, For Emy n.4 it also serves as a synthesis. The themes explored in the previous panels — the tension between spontaneity and control, between urban memory and pictorial construction, between figuration and abstraction — find here a particularly balanced and deliberate form.

Viewed on its own, the work possesses a strong visual autonomy. When placed within the context of the entire series, however, it contributes to a monumental ensemble stretching over eight metres in length, bearing witness to one of the most significant periods in Kende’s output during the 2010s.

The work is now in a private collection.

TITLE: For Emy n.4
YEAR: 2012
TECHNIQUE: Mixed media on wood
WIDTH: 218 cm
HEIGHT: 218 cm
THICKNESS: 8 cm
CATALOGUE: FE412
ORIGINAL: Not available
PRINTS: Available