Gyergyádesz László, ifj.: Kecskemét és a magyar zsidó képzőművészet a 20. század első felében (Kecskemét, 2014)

Jegyzetek

A Városi Kaszinó díszterme az 1930-as évek első felében (Bajtay Ferenc archív felvétele) / The ceremonial room of the City Casino in the first half of the 1930s (an archive photo of Ferenc Bajtay)

cordance with the image of palaces in the period.

“The wavering line particularly characterizes the so called secessionist architecture that can be detected on our lodging-house as well.” Béla Faragó the headmaster of the orphanage in Kecskemét used the adjective, secessionist without any doubt for this masterpiece of the “Hungarian style" already in 1905, although not many people dared to combine these concepts in Hungary at that time. “Does the secessionist style suit the Hungarian style? This issue was officially discussed and soon decided. Wlassics (Gyula) Minister of (Religion and) Education at the session of the parliament on the 17th April (1902) said the following about the matter: »I have called the head of the architectural department and I have told him that I do not like the style of the Seces- sionism and since we often come across the secessionist style under the name of the Hungarian style it is not appropriate for my taste, because I also have the right to have a sense of taste [...] still I have the impression that many building operations of those who want to work in the Hungarian style in some respects work in the secessionist style; so I will make every effort in order to paralyse such secessionist construction works belonging to my portfolio in the future, but I do not include the Hungarian style here.«” Conservative circles and the official representatives of culture primarily attacked Lechner thus accused him with anti-nationalism, moreover, they on purpose hindered him to get architectural commissions. However, by the students and followers of the master the influence of his form of expression - although in vari-ous ways and levels - significantly gained ground in the Hungarian architecture in the decade before the outbreak of the First World War. What we can posteriorly consider fortunate in the case of Kecskemét is the fact that the followers of the style were predominantly employed instead of Budapest in rural cities owing to the official refusal of the tendency. Shortly, they were attacked on the basis of their origin as well as for other reasons. “Towards the end of the 1890s our great architecture teacher, Ödön Lechner(er) started cultivating »the Hungarian architectural style«. His receptive students brought it to perfection. Our modern and young architects are Jewish or ex-Jewish, therefore, in 1908 Jenő Lechner architect in the engineer-architect association branded the modern Hungarian style as Jewish so the Jewish-matter was found in the Hungarian architectural art where they show contempt for the Jewish architects and their style similarly to the Saint Stephen Academy for the Jewish character of the Hungarian authors of the sociological science, or for the Jewish actors, poets, or Jewish septic Jewish tempo not to mention the Jew-bashing of composers.”

In the style of the building the international (Wiener) Secessionism is present as well as the sculptural inclinations of Márkus, however, most solutions demonstrate the characteristic features of the Lechner-school for example the conscious usage of the wavering line of the attic - the typical element of the moulding renaissance of Northern Hungary - also mentioned by the contemporary writer. This can be well observed on the exterior decoration of the Cifrapalota, on the ornamentation of the sculpturesque blue, green and red pyrogranite and majolica elements of the fagade, furthermore, on the ceramic tiles of the high roof and the original pyrogranite chimneys and “mushrooms" that were all the product of the Zsolnay factory in Pécs. The floral secessionist decoration - that is similar to the style of the long embroidered felt cloak of Hungarian shepherds - appearing on the differently formed majolica elements is combined with the motifs of Hungarian folk art. The designer must have been the architect himself who was familiar with various decorative tasks (see the contemporary issues of Művészet). Con44