S. Nagy Anikó, Rédey Judit: Az utca képeskönyve. Kereskedelmi plakátok és korabeli kritikájuk (1885–1945) (Bpudapest, 2006)

Advertising dressed in military uniform in World War I. Posters mainly urged the public to take up war bonds. Their role in shaping public opinion grew considerably during this period. World War I was followed by the soaring rise of Hungarian advertising from the mid1920s onwards. Its development was paradoxically aided by the crash of 1929. Goods became increasingly difficult to sell and this led to advertisements for goods coming to the fore alongside company advertisements. The sharpening market competition, industry and commerce forced companies to use a combination of advertising tools. A new era had arrived in Hungarian poster art. The number of competitions increased massively. Their aim was to ensure that as many ideas as possible should be created for one theme and that the best should end up on the streets. This mobilised a wide group of graphic artists and gave them bread in difficult times. Award ceremonies became social events and the winning entries were reproduced. (The Modiano Company printed all of the quality designs.) The young generation of designers searched for much more expressive approaches to advertising: they experimented with the two-dimensional harmonisation of lettering, form and colour and the new opportunities offered by the modern poster. Private art schools teaching graphic design sprang up around various recognised artists. Robert Berény and Sándor Bortnyik where at the cutting edge of the formation of the new world of form. Róbert Berény was the demanding artist in the constructive spirit. Sándor Bortnyik transplanted the order of abstract composition, the signal-like use of colour and the spirited figuration of geometrical form. He published his own journal in 1933 called Plakát (Poster) and ran his own school called the 'Workshop" between 1928 and 1938. Commercial graphic art carved out an independent place for itself in art. It received a forum and recognition in exhibitions both at home and abroad. Hungarian poster art was raised to international rank. From historicism to constructivism, various styles (academism, art nouveau, art deco, cubism) lived peacefully alongside one another. Their quality was guaranteed