Hann Ferenc (szerk.): Bánovszky Miklós festőművész 99 éves. Bánovszky Miklós festőművész kiállítása a szentendrei Műhely Galériában 1994. május 1 - 8 (Szentendre, 1994)
by ministers, factory owners, known or less known members of the bourgeois elite and the middle class. In 1977 he painted the portrait of well-respected and beloved spiritual and intellectual ”Mr. Know-All” of Szentendre, dr. Imre Mailáth. These portraits most often fit the category of commisioned poertaits, that is, they are characterized by the full artistry of the painter, a keen sense of character and, of course, with refined idealization. The Neo-Classicistic works of the 1930s, which were so popular at the time, only belong to an episode, even if not a negligible one, in his life. Bánovszky, in fact, never came to be closely related to the so-called Roman School like some of his contemporaries in Szentendre. He has always retained his basically Naturalistic approach. The two chefs-d’oeuvre of his period is ’’The Portrait of a Woman with Le Vogue” and the double portrait of Barcsay and Paizs Goebel. Both paintings have an interesting momentum related to them. In the autumn of 1993 in the Szentendre studio of the artists we saw a fresh, unfinished version of the ’’Portrait of a Woman” whose earlier version disappeared. In the Photo Archives of the Ferenczy Museum, on the other hand, we have found a so far unknown version of the double version whose ownership is likewise unknown.lt is clear that it was a precedent of the later portrait of his collagues, as its sketch-like character closer to drawing than painting point out, yet it is no less significant since we can thys see how the painter works and confirms our intention to separate this double portrait from the commisioned ones. The artist has painted other portraits of his fellowpainters: Vilmos Perlrott Csaba, and János Tornyai. These portraits, however, do not differ markedly from the portraits of bank-owner or members of the state adminstration. In case of the Double Portrait Bánovszky strove to reflect their spirit and interior character. In the first version there is a bigger contrast between the Puritanistic, serious character of Barcsay and the ever joking airy figure of Paizs Goebel who liked to gesticulate vehemently. In this picture Paizs Goebel’s figure is bent to a Gothic S and the fingers of his left hand are especially expressively painted. The background is broken, a vertical pillar separates the two figures united by the composition, stressing the marked difference of their approaches which are reflected by two of their discernible paintings hung on the wall, Barcsay’s "Working-Class Girl” and Paizs Goebel’s ’’Hilly Landscape”. The sensitive, slightly euphoric Paizs Goebel embraces the more reserved, srticter Barcsay. What a plastic rendering of their difference and close frienship. In this work of art Bánovszky has reached a profundity of difficult, psychologic portrait painting has been mastered only by few.. The highest value of the harmonical, tranquil composition is represented not by the artistry which is obviously one of the artist’s merits but rather by the well-toned representation of character, the simultaneous contrasts and parallellisms. There has been hardly another similarly consistent oeuvre comparable to Bánovszky’s. Almost ninety years have passed since the child oof ten or twelve spied out the artistic methods of Döme Skuteczky painting outdoors in besztercebánya and started to paint on his self-made easel in the streets and squares of this miners’town. His oeuvre encompasses almost a century. He has witnessed the great days. His interesting, diarylike autobiography in press has more than one lesson for all us. While his artistic heritage reflect the painter, his autobiography renders the everydayy meseries of the man both for his audience and his collagues. Miklós Bánovszky is 99. Let me confer the congratulation of his admirers, friends and fellow-artists. Ferenc Hann
