Ikvai Nándor szerk.: Gödöllőiek, szentendreiek. Művészettörténeti tanulmányok (Studia Comitatensia 10. Szentendre, 1982)

Gödöllőiek - Besics Beatrix: Az eredetmonda feldolgozásai Székely Bertalannál és a „Gödöllői iskolában”

Székely Bertalan válogatott művészeti írásai. Szerk., vál., bev.: Maksay László. Bp. 1962. Szűcs Jenő: A magyar szellemtörténet nemzet-koncepciójának tipológiájához. Történelmi Szemle, 1966/3—4. Szűcs Jenő: A nemzet historikuma és a történetszemlélet nemzeti látószöge. Bp. 1970. Vayerné Zibőlen Ágnes: Kisfaludy Károly. Bp. 1973. BASICS, BEATRIX: HUNGARIAN MYTH OF ORIGIN IN THE WORKS OF BERTALAN SZÉKELY AND OF THE GÖDÖLLŐ ARTISTS Bertalan Székely and the two leading personalities of the Gödöllő-group, Sándor Nagy and Aladár Körösfői Kriesch were connected not only as master and disciple and friends but by the similarities of their theoretical activities. The interest towards the origin of a nation and its past was increasing in importance from the beginning of the 19th century both in Hungary and Europe. The artistic manifestation of this was historical painting and in this genre both Székely and his followers made works of outstanding value. So did they begin to represent the Hungarian myth of origin in which they saw the most significant motif of national past, the proof of its existence and at the same time believed to find and form national art through it. The representation of the myth of origin had literary archetypes as well. An example of this was Ipolyi's „Hungarian Mythology" as a general source but they used in fact and even illustrated the epic of János Arany „Death of Buda". The literary basis of both types of the myth of origin can be found here: the Attila legends and the myth of the wonderful stag, the history of finding the home of Hungarians. The following works are discussed here: two unrealized cycles of Bertalan Székely, his last works, one of them planned to the so called „Aranyház" of Vajdahunyad Castle representing the myth of the wonderful stag in seven scenes. In this case even the cartoons were ready but were not executed because of Székely's death. A lot of plans and designs were made for the frescoes of the domed mausoleum above the monument of St. István which had to be a part of the Halászbástya. These illustrate the myth of origin and scenes from the life of St. István but neither these nor nor the national pantheon-like architectural and sculptural complex were actually realized. The Gödöllő-group's earliest work in this theme is the Golden stag design of Aladár Körösfői Kriesch. The sgraffito in Veszprém of Sándor Nagy shows the typical scene of the myth similarly to that of the fourth picture in Vajdahunyad. Körösfoi's secco in the House of the parliament having the title of Bisonhounting (Attila saves the life of Buda) belongs already to the Attila legends. The monumental representations of Hun-Hungarian legends are the stained glass windows by Sándor Nagy and mosaics by Körösfői (The Siege of Aquileia, The Sword of God) adorning the Hungarian pavilion is Venice. Although they cannot be ranged strictly with the myth of origin the frescoes of the „Educational House" at Marosvásárhely mix most fortunately idea and realization. Here the artists succeeded in expressing with a special work of art the notion of creating and presenting national past. But together with stylistic innovations and in spite of the high aesthetic value of the works the purpose of renewing national art meant the failure of an experiment because of its anachronism.