BENCZÚR, Gyula

“The Baptism of Vajk” by Gyula Bencz�r won First Prize in competition Minister of Culture J�zsef E�tv�s announced with the purpose of promoting historical painting in Hungary. In the study prepared for the painting, which was eventually entered for the competition, a conspicuous group of pagan Hungarian was present. When the final picture was completed in 1875, there was no indication of the pagans, i.e. the opposition; after the political compromise between Hungary and Austria in 1867, those who financed the competition preferred a rendering of this decisive event without allusions to any conflicts. Vajk (the later King St. Stephen) is seen kneeling in the foreground, to be baptized by Saint Adalbert, dressed in ornate attire.

With the help of his ability to paint pompous materials and set up vivid compositions - which he acquired from his master, Piloty, and by studying the art of Rubens and Tiepolo, Bencz�r created a representative tableau of Historicist painting. It is not without reason that Bencz�r became the king of painting in Hungary during this period, the favourite of rulers and the aristocracy; moreover, he became a professor at the Academy of Art in Munich and later at the Master’s School in Budapest. He possessed both technical virtuosity and the ability to conform with the requirements of his patrons - two assets which were necessary for obtaining his position in art.

The great solemnity of historical paintings was especially apparent in the large pictures by Gyula Bencz�r. His master, Piloty, concerned himself with stage-like scenes from the history of Europe, but Bencz�r who great up in Kassa in the turmoil of the War of Independence, felt that it was more important to depict Hungarian history. This early work of his, “L�szl� Hunyadi’s Farewell”, alredy shows his particular talent for composition, human characterization and realistic rendering. There is deep sorrow on the face of L�szl� Hunyadi, the central figure, and one feels his tragic fate looming over the paintful farewell of his friends, Subdued light falls on the group and is reflected from the white walls that are painted with masterly realism.

The great succes of this painting marked the beginning of Bencz�r’s sparkling artistic career. He first exhibited it in Pest in 1867 and then in Paris with the works of eleven other Hungarian painters. In 1869, the Pest Picture Gallery Association bought it for the Hungarian National Museum. It became so popular that the weekly magazine “Haz�nk” (Our Native Land) reproduced it as a colour supplement in the 1870s.

The beautiful and tragic Elizabeth von Wittelsbach, Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary, was seen as a model of virtue. She had been educated in a more liberal spirit than was prevalent at the rigorous Burg in Vienna, and, in an effort to neutralize the influence of an intransigent court, she learned to speak Hungarian. She did much to speed the Compromise of 1867 which gave some autonomy to Hungary, and her efforts to this end won her the epithet of “The Good Hungarian Queen”. The mysterious suicide of her son, Rudolf, the heir apparent, and her own assasination by an Italian anarchist in 1898, further enhanced her legendary status. She was invariably portrayed in the Academic style, like in this painting.

Bencz�r, a master of great interiors, leads us out of the world of furniture and museum pieces: we find ourselves in nature. This picture proves that its master shared the love of nature of the Barbizon painters. This charming idyll in the forest always remains to be a surprise for the spectator whenever he has a look at it.

The picture, which gives the impression of welfare, inspires thoughts of melancholy and nostalgia. How sad that the mow has become yours for one single day, the atmosphere of your reading will vanish as if you had not read it. One is unfaithful to silence and nature, this is what prepares the loss of an idyll …

Bencz�r started to paint “The Recapture of Buda Castle in 1686” in 1885; the composition was completed for the Millennial Celebrations in 1896. This huge painting was the last such venture of Bencz�r and of Hungarian Historical painting in general, since by the turn of the century this genre became out of date. The composition implies the historical necessity of the Austro-Hungarian Empire by emphasizing that Hungary was freed from Turkish suzerainty in 1686-1687 by the help of Karl of Lotharingia and Eugene of Savoy. Bencz�r groups the figures ingeniously; thus, in spite of the numerous characters, the presentation still remains fluent. The careful studies of costumes, props and faces, and their realistic and colourful rendering, were required to establish the historical authenticity of the final work.