A Herman Ottó Múzeum Évkönyve 45. (2006)

Tasnády S. Attila: Adalékok Mokry Mészáros Dezső művészi pályaképéhez

DATA TO THE ARTISTIC CAREER OF DEZSŐ MOKRY MÉSZÁROS We are currently celebrating the 125th anniversary of the birth of Dezső Mokry Mészáros (18811970), a sculptor bound to Miskolc by many strands. The artist consciously rejected all formal art studies, as a result of which he strove to address artistic problems not through inner deliberations, but by reacting with amazing sensitivity to the many impacts on 20th century art from the field bordering on or beyond the arts. His artistic career was launched by an "external", scientific experience: he became an artist owing to the fascination with the wonderful designs of the micro-world he saw when looking into the microscope. His interest in the natural sciences can be felt in all his works, especially his fascination with biology and astronomy and his attraction to prehistory and science fiction. His art can best be characterised as a form of the Art Nouveau, with most of the artistic elements reflecting the various Art Nouveau tendencies. At a time, when the main emphasis of art is laid on the instinctive rather than the conscious, a clear link can be noted with the following fields: children's art, spiritist and pathologic art, naïve art, folk art, tribal and prehistoric art. All of these can be noted in Dezső Mokry Mészráros' oeuvre, even if with varying intensity. His instinctive artistic attitude recalls the creativity of children. The symbolism of his early ink and watercolour drawings has much in common with the works by spiritist and mental patients. Most of his works are imbued with a certain naïveté; his early art can be likened to works by artists grappling with cosmic themes and seeking an explanation for the world, and later with naïve artists offering a realistic portrayal of the life of rural folks. The influence of folk art can be most strongly felt from the later 1930s, when he began studying Hungarian runes and archaic wooden grave markers, incorporating these motifs into his carpet designs and grave monument plans. Various motifs drawn from folk art appear on the wall ceramics created towards the end of his life. Tribal and prehistoric art appear in harmony. His fascination with the prehistoric world led him to experiment with creating artworks in the same manner as prehistoric man, reflected not only in his charcoal drawings, but also in his pottery and sculptures, which thus have a semblance of archaic finds. Attila S. Tasnády 369