Fraternity-Testvériség, 1963 (40. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

1963-05-01 / 5. szám

FRATERNITY

7

ALFONZ LENGYEL:

THE LIFE AND ART OF

ALEXAN DER FI NTA HUNGARIAN-AMERICAN SCULPTOR

Chapter II

FINTA’S SCHOOL YEARS AND TRAVELS

The Ministry of Culture gave Finta a scholarship, the equivalent of about 80 U. S. dollars. By then he had six brothers and two sisters. His father, deeming it unjust that only one of his children should receive an education, moved the entire family to Nagy varad, where all could attend school. Too, the city offered a better opportunity to make a living, for the economic effects of the Russo-Turkish war which broke out at that time could be felt in Austria-Hungary as well. Although the elder Finta and his family were strongly attached to their village — a trait common among Hungarian peasants ■—- the prospects of a better life and education for the children finally triumphed.1

Nagyvarad, the “Rome of Hungary”, lies on the border of Transylvania. For centuries it had been a defense post of Western civilization against Tatars and Turks. The streets had been laid out in zig-zags to provide better protection when the city was under siege. Now it was a marketing center, with markets held every second day, and the colorful national costumes of the villagers who brought in their wares made a deep impression on young Finta.

1 Mrs. Catherine Finta, personal interview, Los Angeles, Calif., December 26, 1958. Permission to quote secured.