Ikvainé Sándor Ildikó szerk.: Néprajzi, történeti és múzeumszociológiai tanulmányok a Ferenczy Múzeumból (Szentendrei Múzeumi Füzetek 1. Szentendre, 1996)

Ikvainé Sándor Ildikó: Népi mesterek, művészek Pest megyében

During our conversations it turns out that they all had their thorns of neglect, misunderstanding and underestimation, yet these unpleasant experiences were insufficient to break them, they merely strengthened their creative impulses. The artists of this exhibition are of different regions of our county as it is indicated on the map. There are more of them among the hills of the northern regions, though the southern plain area is also represented. In the northern regions, where the hills are covered with forests thus offering the natural medium of wood, there are more wood carvers. This is the region where we may find three times as much wood carvers than painters. Some of them started, in fact, with painting and continued with wood carving, like Sarolta Szilády or Ferenc Kovács, or they both paint and carve like László Micsei. Others experiment with diverse techniques like Sándor Bodrogi, Árpád Chemez or Juli Dudás. Three main topics can be distinguished in their oeuvres as it is apparent from the exhibits. Since we intended to emphasize rather the topics than the individual achievements, the exhibition is arranged around them and not based on the grouped display of individual oeuvres, so that visitors may perceive the different expressions of similar messages. The three topics can be indentified as follows. All of the artists were strongly inspired by their childhood experiences and their range of emotions which seem richer than in our days. Most of them are, therefore, genre scenes which go back to observations and experiences of the artists' lives, trades, yet there is a powerful expressivity vested in them, showing an either astonishing, moving, or often serene, playful or humorous character. Lunch, Alone, On the Way Home and Sorrow (sculptures) and Beggar (a painting) by László Micsei, the pictures of Péter Benedek, Juli Dudás, Mrs. Maczó, the statues representing shepherds and outlaws by József Oszoli, József Reitmayer, István Ungar, the representations of mother and child by Sándor Bodrogi, Ferenc Ferenczy, Pál Kollár, Ferenc Orisek, the carts and animals of Ferenc Orisek, László Tóth, István Ungár, Ferenc Kovács etc. qualify well for this category. The second main topic is connected with religion and chiefly includes scenes from the life of Jesus and the saints. The Good Shepherd taking back the lost sheep is represented by István Ungár, József Reitmayer, Sebestyén Bucsánszky. The Nativity appears in The Three Magi by Juli Dudás while Christ's Passion recurs in the works of Árpád Chemez, Reitmayer's Calvary and Last Supper. Ferenc Kovács' Saint George, László Micsei's SaintJoan and Prayer, Sebestyén Bucsánszky

's Saint Sebastian and Árpád Chemez's Saint Gallen Monk belong to this group as well. The third topic, historical events, outstanding personalities and allusions to literary works, has inspired a significant number of pieces. This group includes László Tóth's Magic Stag and Bocskai, Ferenc Kovács' Árpád, Lehel

's Horn and the illustration of Arany 's The Nightingale by Sarolta Berényi-Szilády, József Oszoli's Petőfi, László Micsei's Napoleonznd Verdi, the portraits of Bartók and Kodály by Sándor Szinek and Ferenc Kovács, etc. Apart from the paintings, statues and reliefs there are works which belong to rare and unique territories of folk art, and as such, are of special importance. The world famous eggs with horseshoes by Lajos Kuris earned a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. Similarly unique and world famous are the beautifully sounding and formed cithers of Imre Molnár (Molci-cithers). Sándor Szinek also exhibits beautifully carved cithers, some of the hundred or even more he carved for his relatives, acquaintances as well as foreigners. There are very special, exceedingly fine pieces of jewellery made of horse-hair. The methods of making horse-hair jewellery were revived by Sándor Bodrogi more than twenty years ago when they seemed to have passed into oblivion. He perfected, practised and taught them at an artistic level until a few months ago, when he unexpectedly died awaiting new meetings and exhibitions. Another interesting medium is that of Árpád Chemez who works in horn as well as wood, 128