Klemmné Németh Zsuzsa (szerk.): Triznya Mátyás 1922 - 1991 (Szentendre-Zebegény, 2012)

miraculous water-colours (Elekfy is almost unknown for most people), my husband continued painting and aquarelling.

After the War, instead of the German soldiers the Soviet ones kept Hungary occupied. Their governors suppressed cruelly all endeavours for independence. At the beginning of 1948, we also had to flee and through Austria we got to Italy, the country of arts. Mátyás Triznya’s painting unfolded there as his knowledge of history and philosophy found response in the monuments of Latin culture, in the marble columns of Forum Romanum, Ostia Antica. First, he worked as a scene-painter then as a special effects cinematographer at the film studios of Cinecittá. He became so popular that everybody from De Sica to Fellini called him only “Mattia ungherese”: Matthias of Hungary. However, he never gave up painting. He had several successful oneman shows both in Rome and in the neighbouring towns and he also participated in Italian arts life. He became a member of Accademia Tiberina and he was awarded the grand Dante medal. In spite of all these acknowledgements his personality did not change. He always remained the good-humoured, light-headed Matyi, who enjoyed himself with his friends, Feri Szabó, a Jesuit pater, Péter Sárközy, a professor and András Majorovits, a doctor from Heidelberg, at “Triznya- Pub” parties at his place on Saturday nights. The idea to arrange an exhibition ofTriznya-pictures in the beautiful German town came to doctor Majorovits. It was at this point that Mátyás Triznya’s international career started, which resulted in successful exhibitions (as well as sales of the aquarelles) in almost all European cities. After some time, he even gave up his film job and only dealt with painting. Unfortunately, it did not last long because he got ill and on 18th October 1991, the day of the patron saint of painters, Luke evangelist, he died in Rome. He is buried in the graveyard of Zebegény.

Zsuzsa Szönyi

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