Klemmné Németh Zsuzsa (szerk.): Triznya Mátyás 1922 - 1991 (Szentendre-Zebegény, 2012)
had decided to become a painter as early as at the age of five. The decision was followed with realization: wherever he found an empty surface in the flat in Hegyalja Street in Buda, he scribbled it all over — though only in abstract style at that time. The parents had no other choice but to present him with colour crayons and a box of paint. The next stage of the career was at the Piarist Grammar School in Váci Street, Budapest, where, neglecting the lessons, he became a successful “painter” to the greatest joy of the whole school. His artist name was “Matyi”. The other pride of the school was János Pilinszky, who recited his poems at the end-term ceremonies while Matyi exhibited his pictures painted during the year. Father Triznya, the master of gentlemen’s fine footwear, intended to leave his famous shoe shop in the neighbourhood of the Piarists in Váci Street to his son. In order to strengthen the sons business spirit he sent him to the University of Economics. However, Mátyás was an independent personality. He did not mean to hurt his father therefore he enrolled in secret for the graphic class of Nándor Varga at the Academy of Fine Arts. It was at that time that he got acquainted with Zsuzsa Szőnyi, his favourite painter’s daughter, who was studying at the Faculty of Humanities. It still cannot be decided whose influence was more important: the great painter’s or his daughter’s. However, after almost fifty years’ happy marriage we can agree that both. On 19th March 1944, the German troops occupied Hungary. We had not known anything in advance and happened to get married just on that day. Because of the bombing we fled to Zebegény, where, following István Szőnyi’s advice and admiring Jenő Elekfy’s Mátyás Triznya I9
