Öriné Nagy Cecília (szerk.): A gödöllői szőnyeg 100 éve - Tanulmányok a 20. századi magyar textilművészet történetéhez (Gödöllő, 2009)
Summaries
136 Founding of the Manufacture des Gobelins in 1662 opened a new era in the art of carpets in France with the task of enhancing the glory of the royal dynasty. The stylistic renewal of the carpets at the beginning of the 19—20 t h centuries brought about also a change in the function they were supposed to fulfil in the inner space. Instead of gigantic size impressive pieces, carpets suitable for the middle class family homes were needed. They presented these new type carpets in various applied art exhibitions and they also showed their size and their price in a catalogue. This way, it is obvious that a great number of replicas may have been prepared of the same carpet. Ihe one to bear the palm is undoubtedly the composition entitled Five Swans based on Otto Eckmann's design and executed in the Weaving School of Scherrebek; we know of nearly a hundred woven copies of it with more or less important changes. Flóra Remsey Reconstruction of Sándor Nagy s carpet entitled Ildikó Sándor Nagy was essentially a painter and graphic artist. His works - frescos, paintings, stained glass windows, carpet designs, works of furniture and leather, plastic figures of plaster - were inspired by the idea ol all arts being integrated into a complete whole. His exceptional drawing talent manifested itself, among others, in graphic creations; his feeling for decoration in stained glass windows; his abounding, quasi-oriental imagination in carpet designs. Ihe patterns of Sándor Nagy's carpets are not based on oriental motifs he collected, but they are fruits of his individual talent, imagination and his mentality in general, just like the queer-looking creatures and freaks in his graphics. Among Sándor Nagy's figural carpets, which treat several topics, Ildikó belongs to the group inspired by history and literature, for the heroine in this carpet is a character of the Hungarian mythology. Countless tales of the Hungarian-Hun circle of legends immortalize the life story of Ildikó, who was Attilas last wife. When preparing the carpet design, the author used oil paint on canvas without any intention to prepare a painting having from the start the idea of a carpet. Its characteristic features are ornamentalism with great emphasis given to the contours; the forms are transcribed and stylized. Ihe vegetal forms create a bizarre effect. We are at a loss to say whether we can see animals, plants, or a devilish character, are they stigmas or feet. All this lends it a mysterious atmosphere. By the interchange of colours, the variants of identical motifs come into being by which the composition becomes richer and more complex. The full-length portrait of Ildikó appears in the middle of the work in front of a lavender-greyish background. She wears a red robe with apron and she holds a hawk in each hand. Her raiment reminds us of the rural wear of Kalotaszeg, but the decorative execution and the gesture of the hands imply Egyptian art. The contour is ochre gold, which melts into greenish old gold by changing into black, and this variability makes the surface richer and elaborate. The work process of the reconstruction started in the autumn of 2005. By using aquarelle and tempera, I prepared little samples of colour, trying to come as near as possible to the original colours. 1 should note however that I took into consideration also the shades of colour, which preceded and followed on the scale the one I chose, thinking that after weaving in, the interaction of colours might demand an alternative shade. Following the same principle, I chose multiple shades of each colour while buying the necessary stock of wool. Colour is a sensitive and important matter. Ihe visible effect it creates depends on changes in and reacts to the actual light conditions and to times of the day. The reconstruction of any carpet design can be prepared according to a number of different approaches. In this case, the nearly 100-year-old condition of the cartoon being defective and destroyed in some places, suggested at first glance a sensitively executed solution made with an artistically refined French goblin technique. Finally, 1 had the idea that my task was much rather to find Sándor Nagy's original idea than to trace back the stages in physical decay caused by time. I had to target a version with more moderate colour shades and, from a certain point of view, a technically simpler scheme. The style and weaving conception of the contemporary carpets suggested the same idea. Throughout the whole procedure of the reconstruction, I had the concern that in the exhibition entitled The Gödöllő Carpet's 100 Years other carpets prepared many decades ago would surround mine. I wondered how the new, fresh colours would harmonize with the old pieces which would, of course, seem different from the reconstructed one under the same light. Then, another dilemma occurred to me: should a veil or should it not be part of Ildikó's raiment. ITie contour of the veil is more or less visible on the original cartoon, but it is not evident whether Sándor Nagy covered it in the work process with the paint coat of the background, and it rose to view only alter the cleaning was executed; or was it eventually always present as part of the original conception. Finally, I found two reasons for retaining the veil. One of them was the description of the poet János Arany in his epic poem entitled Bada's Death , and the other was that on the painting of Sándor Nagy Attilas Return from Hunt the ladies wear veil as well. Looking back now, 1 find the composition of this carpet equally beautiful with or without the veil.
