Imre Jakabffy (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 4. (Budapest, 1976)

IVÁNFY-BAL0GH, Sára - JAKABFFY, Imre: Géza R. Maróti

hall in 1907 and it came to inauguration on the 24 April 1909. The Hungarian government was paying 1 gold coin as token ground-rent for a year. At the planning Maróti borrowed from the elements of Hungarian rural architecture, too, otherwise we could realize on the up to at present subsisting edifice the outlines of the Art Nouveau, in any case steadied in equilibrum (Fig. 8). In the early forties a wind-storm swept off the glass roof, after that the building stood for years in a state of poor condition. Then the Hungarian government had charged architect Ágost Benkhart to reconstruct the building being on the brink of ruin in order to be up to date and fit to the Biennale's purposes. Mr. Benkhart preserved from the ruin in the course of the reconditioning the structure and the gold-green eosinic spiked arch of entrance designed by Maróti in reminiscence of the Milan exhibition. Benkhart kept unaltered the entrance arch in paying tribute of piety and esteem to the defunct artist. „I had to become fond of Maróti — said Benkhart having a talk — for the building reduced in ruins seemed beaming with his joy at his work, what had been of great value even then at its poor condition by the fine materials built in". The reopening of the reconstructed building took place in 1958 on the occassion of the 29th Biennale of Venice. In the period about 1910 began in Budapest the building of bank palaces. That was the space of time during which the monumental architecture had w

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orked practically only for the big banks and insurance companies. Maróti considerably participed in those works the great part of the exterior sculptural adornements were being made in his studio and the artist was accomplishing by himself the hard physical works of stone-carving (Fig. 9). Maróti was erecting the sepulchral monument of György Rath being commissioned by the widow to. Rath was a judge of high standing and was a remarkable patronizer of art.

11 He took part at the foundation of the Museum of Applied Arts and was himself art collector of name. Jenő Radisics, former director of our Museum

12 wrote about the sepulchral monument in 1911: „The artist had borrowed the conception from the affection of art being the best liked susceptibility of the defunct. The source of inspiration for executing was Maróti's personal affection for György Rath. Above a simple cube set out with bundles of rods containing an axe (fasces) on each side, relating to the judicial power, rises up a truncated pyramid with three veiled female figures, larges than life size. They seem to move floating and yet they stand, they are statues carved in solid material, giving stability to the entire of the monument. Death is dissolution, dream or threshold of an other life — who knows? This question is risen by the mysterious eyes of the figures and we cannot find out whether that eyes were open or closed, we only see they are neither those of sleepers, nore of deads. Such a prosperous outcome of a difficult problem can rarely he seen"

13 (Fig. 10). World War I did not block Maróti's artistic career. During it he did military service at the press headquarters as a sort of war-painter. On the fronts they were often together with his friend the great Hungarian painter László Mednyánszky. Maróti made service on the Russian, the Italian and the Asian Turkish fronts. He painted and drew everywhere characteristic soldiers' faces, woundeds, destroyed firing positions. All his pictures and sketches are bearing marks of the various regions, everyone is showing a characteristic country view. He did exhibit them in 1910 and 1917 to Budapest and in 1918 to Vienna, Under the influence of his NearEast front impressions, as well as on the basis of his studies of history of religion and 138