Hungarian art

Magyar (Hungarian) art stems from the times of the conquest of people of Árpád in the 9th Century. A. D. Princeps Árpád organized earlier people settled in the Carpathian basin.

Cavalry people in the Carpathian basin

Before Árpád’s arrival several other peoples from the steppe had organized states in the Carpathian basin. The capital of the Huns (Xiongnu in Chinese) was Buda, named after King Attila's brother. But Priscus rhetor, ambassador of the Byzantine Empire and historian of his times mentions, that the capital of the Huns was in the plains between the Danube and Tisza rivers. After the death of Attila in 453 the Langobards and Gepids, later the Avars organized state here (568). This late Avarian State was defeated by the Franks. The Avars of the Transdanubia were baptised. In the years of the 800-s came the first Hungarians to the basin.

Art of the Conquest age

People of Árpád in the 9th Century used a beautiful ornamental art on their dress and on the horse mount and arms. The main motif of it is the palmette. This art is a main period between the 9th and 11th centuries in Hungary, which contains many related signs with the Caucasian, Iranian, Middle-Asian ornamental arts.

Arts in the Romanesque age

Descendants of Princeps Árpád organized the medieval Hungarian Kingdom. During this period the alloying of the steppe art and the romanesque art produced a rich heritage which resembles to several other alloys as the Viking art in Northern-Europe, or the Celtic art in Western-Europe. The crowning mantle of King Stephen is an example to this period.

„10 villages should build a church” said the program of King Stephen. Several of his foundations were later renowned in new forms, but they all go beck to the law of King Stephen.

Architecture and sculptures of churches

Romanesque churches form an art-historical horizon in the Carpathian basin. Some examples are: Székesfehérvár, Gyulafehérvár, Esztergom, Pannonhalma, bishops’ cathedrals, monasteries, with recently opened lapidariums at Pécs, Veszprém, and Eger). Some royal house architectural remnants have Caucasian relations at Tarnaszentmária, Feldebrő, and Szekszárd, (where the foundation survived).

Great reconstructions began after the Mongolian wars in 1241-42. The most beautiful village churches survived from this times as rotundas of Szalonna, Kallósd, Nagytótlak), churches with western tower and southern doorway at Nagybörzsöny, Csempeszkopács, Őriszentpéter, Magyarszecsőd, Litér, Velemér, Zalaháshágy.

Gothic art

The Gothic style reached Hungary in the 14-15. centuries, during the royal houses of Anjou, Luxembourg, and Jagello kings. The rich mining towns have built them on their main square like as at (Kassa, Bártfa, Brassó, Nagyszeben), but several monasteries were rebuilt also in the Gothic style (Garamszentbenedek). The last center of the Pauline Order, founded in Hungary, had been destroyed at Budaszentlőrinci in this form.

The most renowned architect of this time was János Master, a Franciscan brother. His 3 largest churches are at Szeged-Alsóváros, at Kolozsvár (Cluj) Farkas-street and at Nyirbátor. The most known Gothic church is at Kassai, the Saint Elizabeth cathedral.

Sculptures and paintings

The rich painting heritage of Hungary comes from the royal houses of Luxemburgi and Anjou who esteemed king Ladislaus. (Both Sigismund of Luxemburg, king of Hungary and emperor of the German-Roman Empire, and Louis, The Great, king of Hungary and Poland, ordered to be buried to the cathedral of Nagyvárad at King Saint Ladislaus. Even today after so many wars and destructions, there are about 50 churches where the legendarium of St. Ladislaus can be found on murals. This is the age of the Kolozsvári brothers (sculpture) and M.S. master (painter) too.

Renaissance

King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary had rich Italian relations which were realized in architectural building assemblages alike as at the palace of Buda and Visegrad. A beautiful exhibition at Rudabánya in the Mining Museum showed the golden forints made by Hungarian masters for the Russian king Ivan III. In 2008 is the 550 years celebration of the electing of king Matthias in Hungary. In this event the famous Corvina Library of King Matthias was collected, and exhibited in the Buda Castle. He had the largest library in Europe, of his age, containing about 3000 volumes.

Reformation

During the war against the Türkish Ottoman Empire the Reformation changes religion in one third of Hungary. During this time a renewing period begins in church architecture, too. Mainly the inner spaces has a fresh and light ornamentation with plant ornamentica. Characteristic to this are the casette ceilings.

Architecture of Fortresses

The war against the Türkish Empire resulted in the development of the Hungarian fortress construction. Earlier fortresses were built before artillery, later castles and fortresses were fortified against artillery. The most well known is the fortress of Eger, Nagyvárad, Nagykanizsa, Érsekújvár.

Baroque reconstruction

The Habsburg kings helped to reoccupy Hungary and reconstruct the country. The new art style developed at that time was the baroque. Most churches of today are rebuilt in this form. But not only churches, but castles, townhalls, monasteries, colleges like as at cathedral of Kalocsa, monastery of Zirc, castle of Fertőd, college of Eger and the royal palace at Buda.

Classicism

After the Reform Age int he early 19th century old Greek traditions renewed and in this spirit the classicism began to act in the form of buildings, like that of the Hungarian National Museum.

Succession or Jugendstyl

One of the greatest architects of his age was Ödön Lechner. He planned the Museum of Trade Art, The Hungarian Geological Institute, the town hall of Kecskemét, and the Saint Ladislaus Church at Kőbánya, Budapest. Sometimes he is called the Hungarian Gaudi.

References

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* [Marosi E. (1972): A román kor művészete. The Art of the Romanesque Age. Corvina Kiadó, Budapest]
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* [Domanovszky Gy. (1981): A magyar nép díszítőművészete I-II. The Ornamental Art of the Hungarian People. Akadémiai, Budapest]
* [Bérczi Sz. (1987): Szimmetriajegyek a honfoglalás kori palmettás és az avar kori griffes-indás díszítőművészetben. Cumania. 10. Symmetry in Ornamental Art of the Palmette art of Conquesting Hungarians and the Griffin-and-Tendrill art of the Avar-Onogurians. (Bács-Kiskun Megyei Múzeumi Évkönyv), 9-60. old.]
* [László, Gy. (1943): A Kolozsvári testvérek Szent György lovas-szobrának lószerszáma. The Horse Mount of the Statue of St. George Made by the Kolozsvári Brothers. Egyetemi Nyomda, Kolozsvár]
* [László, Gy. (1943b): Der Grabfund von Koroncó und der altungarische Sattel. Archaeologia Hungarica, XXVII. Budapest]
* [Gombrich, E (1986): A művészet története, The History of Arts. Gondolat Kiadó, Budapest]
* [Fodor I. (1996): A honfoglaló magyarság. The Conquesting Hungarians. Magyar Nemzeti Múzeum, Budapest]
* [Gerő L. (szerk.) (1975): Várépítészetünk. Architecture of t our fortresses and cestles. Műszaki, Budapest]
* [Gervers-Molnár V. (1972): A középkori Magyarország rotundái. Rotundas int he Medieval Hungary. Akadémiai, Budapest]
* [Lükő G. (1942): A magyar lélek formái. The forms of the Hungarian Soul. Exodus, Budapest]
* [Ortutay Gy. (főszerk.) (1977-1982): Magyar Néprajzi Lexikon. Encyclopedia of the Hungarian Ethnography. Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest]
* [Szőnyi O. (É.n.): Régi magyar templomok. Alte Ungarische Kirchen. Anciennes églises Hongroises. Hungarian Churches of Yore. A Műemlékek Országos Bizottsága. Mirályi Magyar Egyetemi Nyomda, Budapest. ]
* [Zolnay L. (1977): Kincses Magyarország. The Treasuries of Hungary. Magvető, Budapest]

Outer sources

* http://www.sulinet.hu/tovabbtan/felveteli/ttkuj/12het/muvtori/muvtori12.html
* http://www.sulinet.hu/tovabbtan/felveteli/ttkuj/15het/muvtori/muvtori15.html
* http://www.sulinet.hu/tovabbtan/felveteli/ttkuj/17het/muvtori/muvtori17.html