Platan Arch - The Sharper Memory

Artist ArtH2O
Year Created 2025
Medium Acrylic and Impasto on Paper/Canvas
Type Memory Portrait / Expressive Landscape
Size A3 (297 x 420 mm)
Style Abstract Expressionism / Figurative Emotion
Subject Nostalgia, Autumn, Rába River in Győr, Sycamore Trees, Childhood Memory


Platán Arch: The Sharper Memory is ArtH2O's deeply personal and highly textured attempt to capture a fleeting moment on the Rába River bank in Győr. The scene is inspired by a treasured memory from many years ago, where a massive accumulation of brilliant orange and rust-colored Sycamore (platán) leaves covered the ground near the walkable arched dam (ives gaˊt).

The memory—of the artist's son completely 'buried and rolling' in the vibrant fall foliage—is described by the artist as being 'always sharper and more beautiful' than any painting could be.

In this work, the artist grapples with that beautiful but elusive memory. The furious, sculpted impasto of the orange canopy attempts to recreate the sheer volume of the leaves. Vertical streaks of cool teal and blue evoke the Sycamore trunks and the presence of the Rába's water, while the dark, turbulent foreground suggests the path and the dynamic energy of the riverbank. This painting is not merely a landscape; it is a battle between the vivid, emotional perfection of the past and the tactile, expressive effort of the present moment.


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Many years ago, I took a photo and I liked it so much, there were so many leaves fallen from these sycamore (platán) trees, and the arched dam (ives gát) you can walk on. The leaves were resplendent in autumn colors and there were so many on the ground. My son practically buried himself in them and rolled around in them. That day I took many pictures of him, and sometimes I return to the subject to see if I can paint it... but truly, my memory is always sharper and more beautiful.