Ştefan Bertalan is one of the most important protagonists of the Romanian neo-avant-garde. He co-founded the first experimental artists’ group in Romania, Group 111, and co-founded the group Sigma with Constantin Flondor and Doru Tulcan. Bertalan’s artistic practice focuses on the stages of plant growth, from seed to full bloom. He communicates this development through the medium of drawing, diary entries, photographs, and photograms. His work has been exhibited at La Kunsthalle, Mulhouse; La Biennale di Venezia; City Museum, Ljubljana; Espace Niemeyer – Siège du Parti communiste français, Paris; de Warande, Turnhout; Muzeul de Artă, Timişoara; Mogoșoaia Palace, Mogoșoaia; Johnen Galerie, Berlin; Constructivist Biennial, Nürnberg (1969); Sonja Henje Gallery, Oslo; Sala Kalinderu, Bucharest; Triennial of Decorative Arts, Milan; Richard Demarco Gallery, Edinburgh; and others. 

Ştefan Bertalan's research led him to look for patterns and systems in nature and in organic processes. He began to develop the interconnections he saw between organic, plant and mineral materials after systematic study of their forms. At first glance, Mother and the nettle soup appears to be the artist's treatment of a classical genre painting scene, yet the work transcends such a scene in both form and content. The artist draws upon his deep knowledge of geometric shapes and the movement of objects, referring to elements from physics, biology, and mechanics. Bertalan's artistic approach expresses his appreciation of nature and conveys his sense of a transcendental relationship between man and nature.