Magyar News, 1993. szeptember-1994. augusztus (4. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1993-12-01 / 4. szám
Meditating in the pub. lND a happy ending The turn of the century brought along a special bond between Hungarians and America. The St. Louis World’s Fair opened the door for many Hungarian artists and craftsmen to put their talents to use in the United States. Here is a short sampling. They did or participated in making or beautifying the Hotel Balladaire, the Fisher Building in Detroit, the murals for the Hudson Motor Company, Times Building, Livingstone Monument, Chicago Radio City, the first Television Theater in New York, and the list goes on. Most of these were in the field of applied arts. Fine art was not so lucrative—though we know of many artists whose works could be found in collections. Between the two World Wars there were attempts to succeed in the U.S. There was more hope in it than what reality provided. I remember, as a young university student in Budapest, I went to see an exhibit at the National Gallery (Nemzeti Szalon). The paintings and sculpture of the finest artists of that generation were inviting the visitors. By accident, I was standing next to Vilmos Aba Novak who, with István Szonyi were considered the leading artists of the time. Aba Novak was talking to somebody, telling about his experience in America. I couldn’t move, I was taken by being in the presence of the great master. I was just staring at them, but it didn’t seem to bother them. I wasn’t excluded from the conversation -nor was I included. To my astonishment I learned that this great master only succeeded to point where he was doing performance type painting in the circus. In my imagination I saw him in the middle of the ring with all the spodights on him and the audience applauding. Today I know better what it really was. These memories came back to me as I learned about the publication of two portfolios of Hungarian prints. Originally it was put together by the mentioned generation of artists in 1928 and the second in 1932. The prints were different in style, but these artists were best of friends. Now their works reappear in America. It is because of one of them, the only one who immigrated to the United States. He is István Csóka, at that time a very promising young talent. Today his son, Frank, has an art gallery in Long Island. István Csoka’s birthplace is Gárdony, a small town along the Lake Velence, southwest of Budapest, on the road to Szekesfehervar. The lake is full of reeds, foxtails and cat-tails. There arc roads like canals through the vegetation, and rowing a boat gives you the feeling of the Italian city Venice. The colorful surrounding, the mystery of the waterways is a real visual inspiration. Csóka was bom in 1896 when the preparation for the St. Louis World’s Fair was taking place. His career in art had a bad start. In school he was punished for drawing in class and not paying attention. Butát home his father, who liked to draw horses, helped and encouraged him. At 14 he was asked by a neighbor to draw their new colt. Then at 15 he was working in a building next to the Fine Arts Academy. The moments when he was able to peek through the studio window were precious times of his life. Csóka did not consider enrolling at the Academy, but fate finally got him there. István Csóka worked since he was 13 years old. He started as an errand boy at a girls' boarding school, then at the Railroad Officers' Club. By the time he was 21, he held a clerical position at a bank where in some spare time he sketched fellow workers. Once Csóka made a drawing of a customer. The teller took the drawing and showed it to the costumer. This resulted in some commotion and a few minutes later Csóka was summoned to the director’s office. Taking a good summary of the situation he was prepared to pack up and look for another job. To his astonishment things had a different turn. He had to bring in and show all the art he had at hand. The director and the customer, who also waited in the office, were very impressed. They immediately put up an ad hoc exhibit in the office. Csóka received a three-month leave with his salary paid. Naturally he went back to Gárdony and with a free spirit painted picture after picture. Then he asked for admittance at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. The result of the two-week long exam was that Csóka headed the admitted students list. Still there was a hurdle to cross. The family couldn’t afford the tuition. This would mean that he couldn’t enroll at the Academy. The bank decided to sponsor István Csóka giving him half of the salary for a year and also lunch money. So Csóka was on his way to become an artist. He was successful with his etchings in Budapest and also made a few promising sales in America. Encouraged by the prizes he won in Hungary, Spain and Italy he emigrated to the United States in 1934. Very hard years followed. Not speaking the language the only way to make a living was with hard physical labor. He didn’t give up and spent his evenings and weekends drawing and painting. As a foreigner he wasn’t welcome at the galleries. But after many years he got his break at the Contemporary Arts Gallery with a one-man show. From there on he received well deserved awards. The shows and the awards opened the doors for him, and he was invited to teach at Hunter College, and later at the prestigious Parsons School of Design. István Csóka was an outstanding artist and an outstanding person. Joseph F. Balogh page 3
