The visit was cancelled! “ Lacking support and money, the Szerencs School terminates its operation of 35 years. The exhibition at the Fuge Gallery is open to visitors, worth to see it. Regards, János Fajó”. The two-week camp of the 36th International School and Colony of Arts was advertised for 15-29 of July.

Registered before as visitors, we received the abovementioned depressing and even shocking answer. In the circular of the 2012 Camp you could read: “The Art Camp was established by István Szathmáry in 1976. Leading artists were Pál Deim, Tibor Csiky, Ádám Misch, and János Fajó. Transformed in 1990 to Association to preserve its professional level and independence, it moved to Szerencs, a town in East Hungary in 1994. Being organised for two weeks in second week of July of every year, 80-140 young people from 4-5 countries participates.

The spirit of the colony and the school is penetrated by the geometric, factual art. “We teach the pure form in all of materials, techniques, theory and function. Here we deal in self-extracting only, 24 hours a day. In this school we are modeling the way of life what necessary for this job. This is the living of life, that is, reaching of the individual to himself, which is different to any conventional and common. Purposeful and custom-made” (János Fajó).

As the circular says, the Camp consists of 8 sections. Art director is János Fajó, artist decorated by the Kossuth Prize, teaching the fundamentals of composition as well.

Studies of natural objects: Balázs Pataki, industrial design and graphic artist

Etching and engraving, linocutting, silkscreen printing: Tamás László Kovács, graphic artist and sculptor.

Photographic technique and camera use: András Matkócsik, director and screenwriter, laboratory practice: Júlia Stradovár, and Eszter Galambos

Ceramic design (objects and tableware): Zsuzsanna Réthy

Sculpture: András Kludovácz

Fundamentals of architecture, modeling of space connections: Jenő Kapy (DLA, Ybl Award)

Animation, digital design practices, and visual experiments: Bálint Botzheim, architect

The Creative Camp Association was established to replace what the downgraded drawing studies at the high schools is not able to product: detecting the talented ones and preparing them for access to higher education. Searching the talented young people, the Association strives to look for the gold nuggets in the sand, because it knows: the frontline of any nation consists of the talent and aptitude. Any humane advancement and wealth begins here.

Participants at the Creative Camp could become artist by cooperative activity. The method is based on voluntariness. Ten years ago the Creative Camp was complemented with an Art Camp, where formerly home-grown, made artists work as well.

Perhaps an era had terminated. But what about its doctrine? Slight consolation, that this institution excelling in the domestic art education will be presented in a professionally competent study.

The utmost what we can do at this website is to present as much young artists “growing up” in this Camp, to pass their modern mindsets, rescuing what rescueable. When we visited the exhibition, we had no idea on the developments. We prepared to the ‘great’ visit, as usual. Our photos made in haste might reflect some values what the Szerencs Free School of Art produced along the last 35 years.

Those finding these lines at this site, and reading the opening words of János Fajó at the Fuga exhibition (www.fuga.org.hu) could understand what is the sense of thinking, and what is the role of the art not for art’s sake.

“The smallest particle of the society is the individual, but the quality of the society depends on this individual. The future of a nation depends on the individuals developed to be personalities. And, of course, on the social policy, what is able to recognize this effect, and assists to evolve the talents knowingly and using due projects. Not doing against this evolving, but helping it! A country is poor and restless, if unbalanced, if it has no values. If does not know, what is important, what is more important and what is unnecessary luxury. These made the citizens irrigated. Poverty can be only accepted by justice and having social perspectives. Inverted values of the power takes the country into sure destruction and degradation…”(excerpt)

15/7/2012 Budapest

www.szabadiskola.hu

“It was March 15^th, the National Holiday of the 1848 Revolution. I remember exactly. I was walking with a girlfriend at 7 in the evening when the phone rang. I didn’t know the number, but it started with one, I thought it was a Budapest number. They spoke in English. Luckily my girlfriend knew English and I handed it to her, she interpreted between us. It turned out they called from America at Pichuck Glass School, the world’s largest glass art center. “Tell him I’m going, the kitchen work is fine, too.” Pilchuck is a special place where even the driver is a glass artist. I applied for a grinding assistant because we were making sandblasted bowls at the Ajka Glass Factory at the time. I’ve been to America seven times since 2011. I was teaching in my last year. It was the only time the school paid for my plane ticket. ”

Pilchuck egészen más világ. Itthon a tanítványok nem ültek a tanár mellé a menzán, a távolságtartástól  lassan beléjük költözött a szorongás, ott pedig bárki mellé letottyanhattak, lehetett világhírű művész: „How are you?” és már beszélgettek is. Amikor először megérkezett nem tudott angolul, felnőtt fejjel kezdte el tanulni a nyelvet. A kurzus végén már előadást tartott, igaz, csak tőmondatokban, de bevállalta a helyzetgyakorlat kedvéért, érezze milyen kiállni emberek elé.

Ott alakult ki az a felfogása, hogy az alkotás önmagában is érvényes. Ismert, hogy a művek fogadtatása nagyon éltérő. Lehet mondani véleményt róla, de jogosultságát megkérdőjelezni senkinek nincs joga. Csak pár tárgyat hozott haza onnan. Amikor kiállította azt mondták róluk, olyan “kelet-európai” azaz lecsiszolt, egyszerű.

Sokáig nem volt műterme és most ennek is nagyon örül. Egyetemi légkör veszi körül, sok fiatal alkotó, mégha az utcára nyíló pince hátsó részében nem is ideálisak a körülmények. Gyerekkorában szeretett agyagozni, aztán Kaposváron üveggel foglalkozott. Annyira egyszerűnek tűnt akkor milyen lesz az élete. Csinál tárgyakat, megveszik és ennyi. Amikor Ajkán dolgozott a tálain elvont történeteket jelenített meg.

Jelenleg a Tranfuse 02 sorozatával foglalkozik. Egy bő évtized eltelt a diploma munkája óta, hogy újra szobrokat készítsen. Akkor fémrácsra esztergált gömbölyded lencséket applikált huta üvegből. A különféle megmunkálásnak köszönhetően létrehozott egy fényjátékot. Van, amikor az ember annyira elnyomja magában, mi történt, hogy mikor felépítette első beton és üveg kompozícióját, maga is meglepődött, hogy ennyi kihagyott idő után is milyen mélyen dolgozott benne a fény kivetítésnek gondolata.

Csurgai Ferenc szobrász beton workshopján tanult meg egy új technológiát. Szigorú receptúra szerint elkészített hiperérzékeny anyaggal dolgozik. A beton és üveg anyagukban testvérek, minőségükben azonban mindkettő más tulajdonságokkal rendelkezik. A rideg betonba ágyazva az üveglencsék légies, spirituális hatást keltenek. A formákat és az illesztéseket már biztonsággal kezeli, a következő lépésben a szinek használatával az érzelmekre akar hatni.

If you want to visit a studio, you had better to be informed. Nowadays it is not a relatively hard job, being the Internet at hand. To get information from acquaintances would be worthwhile. For me, however, the surprise and the personality belong to the real artistic pleasure. So far, I did not see a Ficus bonsai of two meter high. As I was never seated at a table, assembled such a masterful way.                                                  .                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   .

The first time in my life, life-size animal sculptures of special carving surrounded me.

And, to tell the truth, it is a rare experience to meet a person who talk about the world and about his thoughts on it without any hypocrisy.

The wood is a wonderful material. The deep brown African wenge, the reddish barwood (padauk), and the purple amarant by themselves trigger my respect, and the perfect refining amazes me. But, I did not even dream till now that not only these noble woods but the simple plywood can produce a wonder.

A műteremben a művek gondosan letakarva, a fa finom pora mindent belep. Drámai hatású a leleplezés: feltárul az élet könyve, a lélekedények, a csomók. Íme az alkotó gondolata, amit érdemes át és átolvasni, hogy többek legyünk és ne csak belépjünk, hanem értsük is amit látunk:

„Ma – szándékom szerint – munkásságom az imádság vagy spirituális praxis egyfajta sajátosan mai, modern formája – nem az istenség közelségéből fakadó megismerés többlete, hanem a távollétéből vagy legalábbis érzékelésének hiányából eredő rossz közérzet és nyugtalanság, valamint e hiány betöltésének vágya artikulálódik efféle reintegrációs törekvésben.

Figyelmem mindinkább a hagyomány felé fordul; itt remélem megtalálni azokat a szellemi tendenciákat, melyek végtelen időkön keresztül forrtak, formálódtak az időtlen múlt kohójában, hogy utóbb gyógyító erejükből vígasztalást meríthessünk.

Ez az irányultság oka lehet annak, hogy egy ideje már munkáim voltaképpen edények, melyek minden formai attraktivitásukkal együtt csak mintegy foglalatát, héját képezik a bennük önmagát kinyilvánító magasabb, láthatatlan erőtérnek, és ugyanezt a sokféleség oppozíciójában megmutatkozó egység vagy teljesség kiegyensúlyozott harmóniáját kívánják érzékeltetni kétfejű figurális műveim.

Ennek érdekében szemléleti tisztaságra és technikai perfekcióra törekszem.“

9/3/2011 Budapest

szocsmiklostui.hu

In the seventies a bright future was predicted for the mining town Tatabánya. A housing project of block of flats covered the one-time swamps of Sárberek (‘Muddy-grove’), and civil cooperation excavated the boating lake. A world has turned a big there. When the Millennium (year 2000) arrived, the local government dreamed a deserved statue into the charming little island at the corner of the lake.

“In this way, my sculpture ‘Prince Géza with István as child’ (1) was placed there. A father and his child, it is far away of all stereotypes, and even further away of the attired figures of the usual solemn, elated moments. To settle the orientation I. Kovaliczky, astronomer helped me, because the sculpture is a sundial as well. The columns present the winter hours, while the stone slabs display the summer ones.” (1) István became the first king of Hungary

“The next town, Nyergesújfalu recently decided ordering a new statue on the pedestal of the WWI heroes. The reading committee disliked my plan ‘Pieta’. They did not understand the metaphor of the torso legs, while I did not understand what kind of pain is reflected by two unimpaired legs flailing. My sculpture ‘Seed-sower’ was refused in Szombathely, too.” .

“The shaft #15 is almost at the end of my garden. The mine was closed long time ago. In summer, a few sculptors are gathering here. Receiving waste steel pieces from the ASG plant, we let our imaginations work freely, considering the laser-cut holes and the amorphous forms. The ‘Gate Guardian Lion’, the ‘Car with Harp’, and the ‘Homage to Giacometti’ became the decorations of my garden. “

“I have commuted to the College of Győr for 17 years. I see the landscape, the Danube across a peephole. Along the way, I have enough time to contemplate on my disciples. I profess arts for will-be school-teachers. I have to manage with a sense of humour and due deliberation the shortcomings, with which the students come to us. “

“My doctorial thesis was written on the Expressionism. The subject forced me to analyse my own work and artistic conception. I formulated that I follow the semi-figural abstract style. It is not specifically expressive, for I use structures, but not even a rigid constructivist. Somewhere in-between.”

“I apply the ‘wax losing method’ to create coins and statuettes. So I can use anything as models, even a dry piece of bread. “

“I am preparing three new pieces for an exhibition: Figure with Rod, Figure with Stick, and Figure on Slope. As a hara-kiri, or an endless suicide? On a sketch I called them so: confession on the existence. “

“What an absurd idea to face the future end of our existence. We, human beings are even aware of this. Having this painful acquaintance, our existence is staggeringly beautiful, being unique and unrepeatable. But I think that is why our experiences are so beautiful.”

23/7/2013 Tatabánya

“In my university time, during the summer artists’ camp we with my mate were making the required drawings on a roadside crucifix. Suddenly a woman wearing rubber boots appeared. Seemingly she worked at the local wine farm. “Every day I pass by this Christ “ she said,” and I should like to buy what you draw. What is the price? “ “But it is not ready!” I said incredulously. “ No problem” she answered.

I was in trouble. I did not sell anything to anybody before. I did not dare to ask twenty, ten was not enough, so I said, 15 forints. “Right. Then I wait you in the evening “ she said, giving her address. We went three. Well surprised, because she prepared good food, and there was vine on the table. Frankly said, it was a strong wetting of bargain. The time passed, we hardly succeeded to stand up from the table, and we left toward the camp in total darkness. But we lost our way in a bush, and wandered till dawn. After daybreak, we realized that we have been roving in a few square meters round. Some years later, as a scene-painter/sculptor at the Opera House, I had to paint a forest. The director ordered: “Be realistic, dense, mystic, have perspective, and be crossed with wandering paths”. Based the former experience, I applied buckets of paint. That is the habit in the theatre. Well, I priced my next picture more daringly…

A studio in a peaceful country house style.

A tiny pond in the garden, a statue waiting for its customer below the porch, two Transsylvanian hounds. Just coming Bagheera, the cat. Furniture of partly middle-class, partly peasant-baroque style. An old stove gives us the fine warmth, the radio tuned to an oratorio.

Knobbly, bony, surreal sculptures on unexpected places, as though the cargo of a sunken ancient ship, or findings of an excavation.

The loft, as an attic in the time of our childhood. I remember: when we were visiting a village house, we waded laughing through the heaps of discarded armchairs, old lamps, bird-cages, rocking horse, caskets, lace skirts, grandmother’s clothes. We were knee-deep in corn. Funny, but those objects are reflected in his paintings.

Insects are clattering, mouse, blue cat, frog are on the canvasses. In the air a butterfly and an airship are flying, together with a house and a car.

A busted lady preens herself on the couch; red-nosed hunters have a debauch. Among the roof balks, pastels are whispering, in other places colours are crying.

The whole tabletop serves as a paint palette. “ You shoot my dirt?” my host asks, and while we look for the matched colours, he finds a real mildew green. Inspired by the extraordinary hue, he paints the colour patches into their final locations in ecstasy.

While he paints and smears, we take photos. The life can be taken seriously until there are humor and poetry!

12/1/2011 Érd

Read more:

totherno.fw.hu

In 1976 I was called up to the Taszár base. I suffered a year in the barracks, but there was the football. One day I broke my leg while playing. The commander saw me limping at the end of the line, so he transferred me to the Balatonkiliti Airstrip as radio operator. We were three there, no any airplane.The other two studied for archeology, they dug all days. The real archeologists were annoyed, for they were not allowed to enter heavily guarded military zone. As for me, I drew and painted. I got a nice year.

My father was painter and sculptor. I learned everything by watching him. I also wanted to be a painter, but I did not learn well enough, so I could not enter to the Art College. What is more, I was from the baby boom, so we were too many

I liked and imitated the painting of Ignác Kokas, and the surrealism of Dalí and Max Ernst. Wanting something big, I painted a five-meter canvas. I felt this was not enough for me. I wanted to step into the three-dimensional space. In 1984 I found an abandoned quarry in the Balaton Highlands, near Diszel. I made a scaffolding the curved concrete wall of a silo, and among the trees the five-meter draft was spread. This was the ‘Visions’. This completed my surrealist era. In 1987 I went to France.

Paris opened the world of hundred variations for me. I had no special ambitions; I wanted to paint. I travelled a lot. Even now I prefer to live in Bretagne at the seashore. But, I had to live on something; I produced floral still life paintings of Dutch style for a landscape trader. He suddenly disappeared, surely finding a cheaper source of supply in China.

Living abroad, I realized that French people are the same as others. The Hungarians have more vitality.

In France, finally, I got powder tempera paint, while only ArtFund members got this at home. I prepare myself my tempera after the recipe of grand old painters. Using this, it is more pleasant than oil. The tempera produces as clear colors as water, I can paint multiple layers, and it is deletable.

What do I paint? I make fictious prints on the memory of Earth. Signs, drawings, what the caveman scribbled. What will remain after us? Traces and bones, after the excavation. My figures are etched into the still plastic, rude cement surface. The sign of totem, what I use on pictures and sculptures, evolved slowly. This is my logo, my totem.

I paint on plywood. Two meters long, just to pass through the door. My statues are made of concrete, but dismountable. Transportability is a must, I lived in the 4th floor in Paris, and now in Budapest as well, without elevator.

In 2007 I moved back, bringing home my pictures and sculptures. I had a great exhibition in the B55 Gallery. By a friend of mine, I got in touch with a Frenchman, who purchased almost everything. So many objects of mine returned to France. These wanted to live in France, where were born. Interesting. “A work of art must have its way and fate!”

25/2/2012 Budapest