István Szőnyi [antikvár]

ough 20th-century Hungarian painters are generally unknown outside their own language territory, there is no doubt that more than one of them deserves wider attention. It is true that a good number have had their works shown in the large art centres of Europe, with acknowledgment by critics and purchases by mu- seums and private collectors, but their successes have been only sporadic. For part of this century, this circumstance is to be explained not necessarily by weakness of talent on the part of the painters but by conditions in Hungary. From the early 1930's on, the rightist Horthy regime accommodated itself more and more to Ger- man fascism, and in the sphere of culture its policy acted to force representatives of the more modern trends into the background to make way for the conservative and untalented cultivators of the officially sponsored art. This political and cultural ca- pitulation was no secret to the countries opposing fascism, and the result was that it was first of all the cultural relations that were weakened. Thus even the glimmers of fame of the deserving contemporary Hungarian artists faded in these other coun- tries. It is beside the point to say that art and music are not confined by boundaries of language, for rarely has early rightful acknowledgement been given where due in the case of artists from small language groups. Here the usual estimations, beyond domestic and foreign political circumstances, are based on misleading romantic be- liefs» and even the naive ethnographic assumptions of the average man have their influence. Hungarian writers presenting Hungarian artists to foreign readers there- fore feel an almost irresistible desire to explain the circumstances and conditions peculiar to their subject. But this can give rise to the idea that it is impossible to observe and admire the art of certain peoples with the same spontaneity one brings to creations from larger groups; if a lot of explanation is needed, one tends to aban- don his adventure in the new area and continue his quest for knowledge along surer, more convenient lines. In my opinion, however, explanations are not necessary for the understanding of artists coming from the smaller peoples if they step out of their local Heimatkunst environment and if the essence of what they have to say, whatever nationality its