Szilágyi András (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 25. (Budapest, 2007)
Piroska ÁCS: Kálmán Györgyi (1860-1930), Heart and Soul of the National Hungarian Applied Arts Association
Fig. 4 Rococo salon cabinet Designed by Ödön Faragó; executed by László Grubits Photograph published in Magyar Iparművészet 1897, p. 140 made from three kinds of wood, namely walnut, Jacaranda and rosewood. On its lower part it was embellished with a varnished Martin picture - mounted on the door as a panneau - that depicted a pastoral scene in the manner of Boucher’ (Fig. 4)F After this salon piece, we illustrate the characteristics of the Hungarian-style artefacts by means of a screen designed by Géza Györgyi for an order placed by the Association.'5 The richly carved frame of the screen features motifs occurring on so-called ‘székely gates’, and the artist-designer was careful not to stray from the wholesome ornamentation, characteristic articulation and profiles found on the originals. Even so, what a harmonious and indubitably fine artefact has resulted from those rough, carpentered structures! ‘The field of the screen is embellished with embroidery executed partly in gold thread, partly in pink, light blue and dark blue silk on a ground of sea-green silk. Its motifs were mostly taken from 17,J'-century embroideries, from which the designer cleverly conceived his organically coherent ornamental poem.’16 The frame was made by Károly Kucsera and the embroidery by Mária Konderth (Fig. 5). The Millennial Exhibition was followed by a whole series of international displays: in St. Petersburg in 1898, in Paris in 1900, in Turin in 1902, in St. Louis in 1904, in Milan in 1906, in Venice in 1909, and again in Turin in 1911. These great expositions gave every opportunity to a developing at a characteristically Hungarian applied art to display its products abroad. At the same time the Hungarian public could form an impression of the development of Hungarian artistic crafts at the annual spring furniture and fittings exhibitions and Christmas exhibitions staged by the Applied Arts Association. The first Christmas exhibition and fair took place in 1886.17 The first years were marked by wearisome organisational work, while in 1895 and 1896 preparations for the millennial year, and the national show itself, absorbed the energies of the Association, with the result that the Christmas exhibitions and fairs receded into the background somewhat. A real change in the history of these events occurred in 1897. (It was in this 138
