Gärtner Petra (szerk.): Csók István (1865 - 1961) festészete - Szent István Király Múzeum közleményei. A. sorozat 45. (Székesfehérvár, 2013)
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1 ________________ 1 458 RESUME gradually turns to the aforementioned two regions. The delicate realism of the early pictures is changed by the colourful style of the en plein air and gradually reaches a plain, closely cut, strikingly coloured composition, which is unique and characteristic of his paintings in Hungary. (Sleeping Socac Peasant Woman, cat 46; Socac Funeral, cat 47; Chest with Tulips, cat 48) This conflicts with the principles and practices of the Gödöllő artists and their mentor, the ministerial advisor Elek K. Lippich, all of whom were supported by the official art-politics of the day. Csók penned an enthusiastic letter to Lippich assuring him that the latter's views had been fully accepted; however, a mutual antagonism between the pair continued, and it can only be assumed that the manner of the letter was deemed inappropriate and ineffective by the influential clerk. Csók's paintings, which adequately expressed motifs ranging from folk art to high art, were simultaneously unique, nationalistic and met the criteria of international modern art - according to the principles laid out later by Lajos Fülep. Unfortunately, this unique approach was only utilized by the artist for a short while, and after 1910 Csók returned to the usual reproduction, variation or literary depiction of paintings of folklore genre pictures. XV. PETRA GÄRTNER Stories of objects - stories of pictures Folklore references of István Csók's paintings Csók's faithfulness to Hungary can be glimpsed in his vast collection of folklore objects. The artist left a collection of 45 pieces after his death, which was presented to the Memorial House in Cece and to the Museum of Ethnography in Budapest by Júlia Csók in 1962. (XVI.1-45) What's most notable about the collection is that of its pieces appear, sometimes repeatedly, in Csók's paintings.Through them we can observe the artist's effort to establish the unique "Hungarian style." In their original environment, many of these objects represent attributes of the peasant. Furniture and personal belongings are good examples of this. In their primary function, these objects were located in the so-called"clean room,"which was meantto reflect a family's wealth. In some cases, the functions of the objects are connected to folk customs, in particular significant live events such as marriage. This means that the ornate bed and the tulip-ornamented blanket chest were carried in procession to the newlyweds'home. Similarly, the tree of life, representing fertility, played an important role in the wedding supper. It is striking that more than half of the objects here can be connected to Sárköz on the basis of their original location.The fact that this area became a field of collecting is a natural consequence of Csók's activities in this region from the early part of the 20th century. The most important stages of the reoccurring genre pictures and still pictures over the decades are Gathering Hay (cat. 9), Baptism in Őcsény (cat. 43), Resting Socac (cat. 53), Socac Funeral (cat. 47) and Chest with Tulips (cat. 48). The characteristic feature of the Sárközi and Socac folklore genre pictures is that the everyday work of the peasants is nowhere to be seen. The characters are either lying in the open air or in front of a tidy peasant house, or they are enjoying the pleasures of idleness in the half-light of the cleanroom. These figures are mainly young women; there are only few cases in which they are depicted with young men.This is the transition of the Arcadia theme into the folklore environment where the characters are always beautiful, the scenery blooms of the green of eternal spring, a place devoid of winter's bleakness. The introduction of the layers of society and social sensitivity are not depicted, which makes Csók's description of the village and the people rather unbalanced. The spectator is kept at a distance from illness, poverty, and exhausting labor, as if village life were about nothing more than uprightness, purity, and happiness. Problems - and sin - are non-existent here. István Csók remained a painter of the exuberant side of life. Between the feast and the everyday, his works tended to show the former. As a matter of fact, the dominant motif of his genre pictures is representation. XVI. PETRA GÄRTNER István Csók's Legacy in the King Saint Stephen Museum and in the Museum of Ethnography of Budapest (Introduction of objects) XVII. ISTVÁN NÉMETH Dolce farniente István Csók's furniture pictures in the reflection of "hollandism" around 1900 The painting Dolce far niente (Pleasant Idleness, Munich, 1897), whose motifs and method of painting were influenced by the Dutch genre painters of the 17th century, has a peculiar place in István Csók's career. As he himself indicated, the painting was not the result of any uncertainties or temporary critical period in his art; rather, he needed money urgently and considered the theme a great business prospect. However, the question arises of why he chose to imitate the style of Frans van Mieris or Johannes Vermeer van Delft to achieve success in the antiquities market of Munich at the end of the 19th century. His choice of subject and in particular, his attraction to paintings created in the Dutch style, can be ex
