A gödöllői művésztelep 1901-1920 (Városi Helytörténeti Gyűjtemény, 1981)

Summary

The Art of the Gödöllő Studio Summary Ruskinism, the Nazarene painters, and folk art are the three main sources from 19th century traditions inspiring the style of the Gödöllő artists and enchancing their integration with the secessionist and symbolist movements of contemporary art. It is their faith in the social usefulness, ennobling effects and formative power of art that is professed trough the Puvis de Chavannes-like, secessionist or post-impressionist universe of their wall-paintings, stained glass windows, tapestries, portraits and illustrations. Their discovery of popular architecture, folk art, folk poetry and national sagas resulted - especially in their architecture and industrial design - in a system of symbols, of decorative motifs, and in principles of composition in organic harmony with universal secession and symbolism. Katalin Keserű The Gödöllő Studio The Gödöllő Studio, the most characteristic association of the Hungarian secessionist art, was founded by Aladár Körösfői-Kriesch. In 1904 he initiated weaving as the central activity for the group. From the first years of the century an artists' settlement developed gradually in Gödöllő, while some of the members remained only visitors to the colony growing out ot the weaving studio. In 1907 the moving to Gödöllő of Sándor Nagy, another leading personality of the Studio, denoted the end of the formative peroid of the group and the real start of collective work. The studio of Gödöllő was one of those artistic associations which left the city for the search of ancient values and unstained sources. They were followers of the artists' groups of Pont-Aven, Laethem and Worpswede, with most affinity to the Nazarene, Beuron and Pre-Raphaelite painters. Nevertheless, they shared most in common with the artists of the Northern-European and EasternEuropean secessionist movements. Their desire to create their own style, together with their program to establish a national style, inspired them to include the treasure of folk motifs in a large-scale into their art. Under the aegis of secessionist „gesamt" art all genres of art found a home in Gödöllő. Beyond tapestry making, the design of frescoes, panel paintings and stained glass windows, graphics, leatherworks, cabinet-works and embroideries had an important role to play from the very beginning. The artists of different origins were integrated by a decorative and stylistic universe of expression which can be considered as a rather general one, and by the intention to implant the inspiration of folk art in different ways into their individual artistic work. Beside impressionist painting two other trends characterized the activity of the colony: the pursuit of abstract, mystic-symbolic patterns and the design based upon collecting folk art material.