Adrovitz Anna: ARC poetica. Petőfi Sándor életében készült képmásai (Budapest, 2012)

Függelék - Sándor Petőfi's Art/s Poetica | Summary

SÁNDOR PETŐFI’S ART/S POETICA

In terms of national identity, Sándor Petőfi's significance (1823-1849) exceeds that of other authors in the Hungarian literary canon: he is considered the embodiment of poetry itself Although Petőfi died early, at the age of 26, he managed to create one of the most distinctive oeuvres of 19th century Hungarian literature. From his début as an aspiring poet, he built up his career deliberately exerting an influence on the public regarding the formation of his image . He was one of the first to take advantage of the opportunities that came into being with the emergence of the modern public sphere, and he used his continuous presence in the press as a means to shape his image as a poet. The process of consciously mythicizing his figure had already commenced in Petőfi’s lifetime, and it gradually became a cultic veneration after he joined the Hungarian Revolution and War of Independence of 1848-49 and perished on the battlefield. In this manner, Petőfi's portraits and various depictions became major iconic representations of Hungarian cultural and literary history. The book displays representations of the poet that were either made in his lifetime or shortly after Petőfi's death and are the works of artists who kenw him closely. Although the style of these portraits is strongly determined by tendencies characteristic of portrait painting of the period, their particular significance lies in the fact that their creators had had the opportunity to observe the poet's countenance, figure and posture. The volume offers a wide variety of Petőfi's artistic representations, which range from portraits commissioned for the sake of public interests to works that —although of a lower quality—bear significance as reflections of personal remembrance.

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ARCpoetica

SUMMARY