Commemorating A Legend

Today I'd like to share with you, the rest of the artworks commemorating 200 years from the birth of a legend, representing the Hungarian culture. He's name is Sándor Petőfi, the Hungarian poet and liberal revolutionary, who disappeared in a battle at the young age of 26 and left more than 850 poems to humanity. He is definitely a legend, considered Hungary's national poet, and one of the key figures of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848. s

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The artists had the task of creating any artwork that has a connection to the poet himself, or his work. It's a vague task, but just as wonderful in my opinion. It left a lot of freedom and room to move from artistic perspective. So let's see what the artists chose to submit for the exhibition, that took place in 2023.

Dávid Raffay - Hussar From '48

The bronze statue is featuring a hussar from 1848. It's a reference to the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, or the Hungarian Revolution and War of Independence of 1848–1849, which was when the poet went missing.

A hussar was a member of a class of light cavalry, originally from the Kingdom of Hungary during the 15th and 16th centuries. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen were subsequently widely adopted by light cavalry regiments in European armies during the late 17th and 18th centuries. By the 19th century, hussars were wearing jackets decorated with braid plus shako or busby fur hats and had developed a romanticized image of being dashing and adventurous.

I love how the bronze statue is placed on a sandstone, instead of an ordinary pedestal, as most of the times.

It was a special exhibition and more exciting for those who had the necessary knowledge in literature, to make the connection between the artworks and Sándor Petőfi's poetry.

Hauser Beáta - János Arany

This was an extraordinary piece for many reasons. The man you see on the drawing is János Arany, the Hungarian poet, writer, translator and journalist, another prominent representative of the Hungarian culture.

What you most likely see as lines or shading on the drawing, is in fact writing. It's text, sentences, words.

The portrait itself is made of dots and small lines, but the background is made of text. I've never seen anything similar, but loved it.

Csaba Sárosi - In the Field of the Dead
(watercolor, acrylic, linocut, monotype, paper)

It's not the artwork you hang on your wall, to admire every single day, but has a lot of meaning. It's a headstone to symbolize the lost lives, the memory of those who died for freedom.

Gábor Homoki - Freedom and Love

This is another special one, if you know how to read it.

This is the poem in English:

Freedom and love my creed!
These are the two I need.
For love I'll freely sacrifice
My earthly spell,
For freedom, I will sacrifice
My love as well.
s

At first glance it looks like naive art, but it's more like story book drawing. However, the tree, the deer, the tulips and the birds are all Hungarian folk symbols. In the center of the painting you can see the Turul, a mythological bird of prey, mostly depicted as a falcon, in Hungarian tradition and Turkic tradition, and a national symbol of Hungarians. s The two persons on the top are the poet himself on the left and his wife, Júlia Szendrey, who was also a Hungarian poet, writer and translator. Her poems are not so famous though.

Imre Molnár -
"Légy tölgyfa, mit a fergeteg
Ki képes dönteni
De méltóságos derekát
Meg nem görbítheti."

This is a part of the last verse of the poem called "If you’re a man, be a man" and translated to English, this is how it sounds.

Be an oak whom the raging winds
May topple and uproot,
But whose trunk, ever so graceful,
They cannot ever stoop.
s

The poem has deep meaning, but the drawing as well. I can't even begin to imagine how much work and the level of precision is needed here, not to mention talent. Not the graphics I would like on my wall, but I really appreciate the deep meaning and the dedication of the artist.

Mária Magdolna Vass - Two Siblings

This was a surprise as there were not many textile art pieces at this exhibition and to be honest, I fail to see the meaning. I read the poem, but ... well, I'm not a huge fan of poems 😬

This exhibition is more meaningful for those who know Hungarian literature and the work of the poet, but I hope you could still enjoy the art. Let me know if you have a favorite.

If you're a newbie, you may want to check out these guides: