János Major: Difference between revisions
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'''János Major''' (Budapest, May 8, 1934 - June 12, 2008) was born as Janos Neufeld to a Jewish family in Budapest. He was a graphic artist and photographer.<ref name=Veri/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://linneawest.com/tag/janos-major/|title=Tag Archives: Janos Major|access-date=2018-09-09}}</ref> |
'''János Major''' (Budapest, May 8, 1934 - June 12, 2008) was born as Janos Neufeld to a Jewish family in Budapest. He was a graphic artist and photographer.<ref name=Veri/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://linneawest.com/tag/janos-major/|title=Tag Archives: Janos Major|access-date=2018-09-09}}</ref> Janos Major was born in 1934 in Budapest. He drew well as a child. His first teacher was a draughtsman in his father’s glass cutting shop. His father, Imre Neufeld, – drafted to the slave labor army – disappeared on the Ukrainian front while his family was forced into hiding in Budapest due to their Jewish descent. |
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In 1947, the 13 year old became a student in Almos Jaschik’s private art school where he studied for three years until the master’s death. He was greatly influenced by Jaschik, this is where he learned about perspective. Later, he studied at the Fine Art High School and the Academy of Fine Arts at the painting department (1952-1954) under Bela Ban, who was forced out from his position, his students were dismissed “despoiled” by his influence. |
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After a year working at the Orion factory as a laborer and making drawings of the women labourers there, he was re-admitted to the Academy in the graphics department of Karoly Koffan. During the 1956 October Revolution he made a sketch of a corpse hanging by his feet from a lamppost. Next year he made a copper etching of this corpse, a masterwork, and one of the two extant plates today as he periodically destroyed his own work: prints, drawings, photographs, plates, tools, etc. |
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His diploma work in 1959 were the etchings Working Women and Morning. At that time he was influenced by Martin Schongauer, Mathias Grunewald and Bela Kondor. After finishing his studies at the Academy, he became familiar with the works of Max Ernst and Lajos Vajda. In the early 60’s, he experimented with surface effects and soon he gained notoriety among his peers. He made his own tools with beautifully carved handles, set up his printer, a converted clothes press. |
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His works from the 60s are characterized by technical inventions, by its distinctive spatial vision i.e. rendering different slices of space side by side and marked features such as window, mirror – sources of allusions. Quite a few works from these years examine his Jewish identity. He married Eva Buchmuller in 1964, they had two daughters together: Borbala, 1965 and Rebeka, 1971. |
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There was only official art by artists officially recognized as such and they were supported by two government institutions: the “Fine Arts Foundation” and the “Art Gallery”. During this period he earned his living making etchings of landmarks, factories, farm cooperatives, commissioned by these government institutions. In order to get these works accepted by the jury of bureaucrats, he could not work in his own style – a great torture –and ended up often with grotesque results. In the 60’s and early 70’s a young group of artists broke out of this mold: there were many unofficial group shows at universities, colleges, clubs, and private apartments. Major participated with etchings, drawings, conceptual works and photographs but didn’t get a solo show until 1989. |
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Joining the theatre group that became Squat theatre in New York, his wife left with their two daughters in 1976, never to return. Major, crushed, spent time in a sanatorium, was diagnosed and medicated – probably wrongly. For the following period he did not do his “own” work, instead from 1976 until the early 2000s he was a draughtsman of archeological finds for the Budapest History Museum, making up missing parts of broken sculptures and reliefs in his idiosyncratic way. As he grew increasingly isolated and introverted, he moved back with his family. His sister, Aniko, provided a comfortable studio in their home and took care of him. |
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As Major started to sketch again for himself from 1986 on, the influence of the time spent at the Budapest History Museum became obvious. Using the pretext of archeological reconstruction occasionally he drew his idiosyncratic topics as artifacts from some excavation. Among his new subjects were illustrated chess puzzles and studies of coincidence in perspective which he applied regularly to his drawings, occasionally making his own monument bearing his features to connect with female sculptures in the background. He didn’t stop at the cemetery, drawing from popular lore, his face was imprinted on all mistreated males in history. |
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== Carreer == |
== Carreer == |
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:Major often appeared in group exhibitions. He made gravestone photographs from the beginning of the 1970s. In the mid-1970s, he destroyed a significant part of his work.<ref name=Veri/> |
:Major often appeared in group exhibitions. He made gravestone photographs from the beginning of the 1970s. In the mid-1970s, he destroyed a significant part of his work.<ref name=Veri/> |
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Revision as of 01:54, 4 October 2018
János Major | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 8, 1934 Budapest, Hungary |
| Died | June 12, 2008 (aged 74) Budapest, Hungary |
| Resting place | Kozma Street Cemetery 47°28′22.25″N 19°10′46.04″E / 47.4728472°N 19.1794556°E |
| Nationality | Hungarian |
| Alma mater | Hungarian University of Fine Arts |
| Known for | Tombstone photographs, drawings and etchings |
| Spouse(s) | Eva Buchmuller, divorced |
| Website | janos-major |
János Major (Budapest, May 8, 1934 - June 12, 2008) was born as Janos Neufeld to a Jewish family in Budapest. He was a graphic artist and photographer.[1][2] Janos Major was born in 1934 in Budapest. He drew well as a child. His first teacher was a draughtsman in his father’s glass cutting shop. His father, Imre Neufeld, – drafted to the slave labor army – disappeared on the Ukrainian front while his family was forced into hiding in Budapest due to their Jewish descent.
In 1947, the 13 year old became a student in Almos Jaschik’s private art school where he studied for three years until the master’s death. He was greatly influenced by Jaschik, this is where he learned about perspective. Later, he studied at the Fine Art High School and the Academy of Fine Arts at the painting department (1952-1954) under Bela Ban, who was forced out from his position, his students were dismissed “despoiled” by his influence.
After a year working at the Orion factory as a laborer and making drawings of the women labourers there, he was re-admitted to the Academy in the graphics department of Karoly Koffan. During the 1956 October Revolution he made a sketch of a corpse hanging by his feet from a lamppost. Next year he made a copper etching of this corpse, a masterwork, and one of the two extant plates today as he periodically destroyed his own work: prints, drawings, photographs, plates, tools, etc.
His diploma work in 1959 were the etchings Working Women and Morning. At that time he was influenced by Martin Schongauer, Mathias Grunewald and Bela Kondor. After finishing his studies at the Academy, he became familiar with the works of Max Ernst and Lajos Vajda. In the early 60’s, he experimented with surface effects and soon he gained notoriety among his peers. He made his own tools with beautifully carved handles, set up his printer, a converted clothes press.
His works from the 60s are characterized by technical inventions, by its distinctive spatial vision i.e. rendering different slices of space side by side and marked features such as window, mirror – sources of allusions. Quite a few works from these years examine his Jewish identity. He married Eva Buchmuller in 1964, they had two daughters together: Borbala, 1965 and Rebeka, 1971.
There was only official art by artists officially recognized as such and they were supported by two government institutions: the “Fine Arts Foundation” and the “Art Gallery”. During this period he earned his living making etchings of landmarks, factories, farm cooperatives, commissioned by these government institutions. In order to get these works accepted by the jury of bureaucrats, he could not work in his own style – a great torture –and ended up often with grotesque results. In the 60’s and early 70’s a young group of artists broke out of this mold: there were many unofficial group shows at universities, colleges, clubs, and private apartments. Major participated with etchings, drawings, conceptual works and photographs but didn’t get a solo show until 1989.
Joining the theatre group that became Squat theatre in New York, his wife left with their two daughters in 1976, never to return. Major, crushed, spent time in a sanatorium, was diagnosed and medicated – probably wrongly. For the following period he did not do his “own” work, instead from 1976 until the early 2000s he was a draughtsman of archeological finds for the Budapest History Museum, making up missing parts of broken sculptures and reliefs in his idiosyncratic way. As he grew increasingly isolated and introverted, he moved back with his family. His sister, Aniko, provided a comfortable studio in their home and took care of him.
As Major started to sketch again for himself from 1986 on, the influence of the time spent at the Budapest History Museum became obvious. Using the pretext of archeological reconstruction occasionally he drew his idiosyncratic topics as artifacts from some excavation. Among his new subjects were illustrated chess puzzles and studies of coincidence in perspective which he applied regularly to his drawings, occasionally making his own monument bearing his features to connect with female sculptures in the background. He didn’t stop at the cemetery, drawing from popular lore, his face was imprinted on all mistreated males in history.
Carreer
- Major often appeared in group exhibitions. He made gravestone photographs from the beginning of the 1970s. In the mid-1970s, he destroyed a significant part of his work.[1]
- In the nineteen sixties he produced art that was grotesque, (self) ironic, absurd sexual engagements blend with Jewish and political motifs.[3] In the nineteen eighties he became interested in perspectival illusion.[1] He has dealt with the subconscious and taboo.[4]
- He staged a one man protest on October 18th, 1969 at Victor Vasarely's retrospective exhibition at the Mücsarnok gallery in Budapest. Janos walked around the exhibit with a one inch sign under his lapel and showing it only to friends: Vasareli Go Home.[5]
Exhibitions
Source: Veri, Daniel. March, 2013. Leading the Dead - The World of Major Janos, MTVA Press. ISBN 978-963-7165-49-8.
- 1969 - Fényes Adolf Room, Budapest, Hungary (with István Bencsik and Ilona Keserü Ilona)
- 1989 - Óbuda Pincegaléria, Budapest[1]
- 1996 - Budapest History Museum, Budapest
- 1997 - Körmendi Gallery, Budapest (floor)
- 1997 - Goethe Institute, Budapest
- 1997 - Goethe Institute, Budapest
- 2000 - Dorottya Street Gallery, Budapest
- 2001 - Ssinyei Salon
- 2006 - Museum Kiscell - Municipal Picture Gallery
- 2007 - Petofi Library Museum
- 2012 - 2B Gallery
- 2013 - Hungarian University of Fine Arts
Group
Source: Veri, Daniel. March, 2013. Leading the Dead - The World of Major Janos, MTVA Press. ISBN 978-963-7165-49-8.
- 1961 - I. National Graphic Biennial, Miskolc / Studio '61, Budapest
- 1964 - MTA Central Physical Research Institute, Budapest / Fényes Adolf Hall, Budapest (with István Bencsik, Ilona Keserü)
- 1966 - Studio '66, Budapest / Europahaus, Vienna / Tombstone Photographs (János Major, Péter Donáth, Gábor Karátson), Central Physics Research Institute, Budapest
- 1965 - Technical University of Budapest R Building, Budapest
- 1968 - Budapest University of Technology, Budapest / Central Physics Research Institute Club, Budapest / Graphic Exhibition, János Vignola / Major, Ilona Keserü, István Bencsik, Adolf Hall Fényes, Budapest / Industrial Design II, IPARTERV, Budapest
- 1969 - Hungarian exhibition, Essen
- 1970 - R-exhibition, Building R, Technical University of Budapest, Budapest / Künstler aus Ungarn, Baukunst, Cologne
- 1971 - Tombstone Photography, Central Physics Research Institute, Budapest
- 1973 - Chapel of the Balatonboglár, Balatonboglár
- 1999 - Perspective, Műcsarnok, Budapest.
Awards
Source: Veri, Daniel. March, 2013. Leading the Dead - The World of Major Janos, MTVA Press. ISBN 978-963-7165-49-8.
- 1990 - Honorary Professor, Hungarian University of Fine Arts.
- 1990 - State Prize, Meritorious Artist.
- 2002 - Klára Herczeg Prize.[6]
- 2007 - Janos Major Prize. Founder NETRAF - Tamas St. Auby. The prize began in 1998 in his honor.[7]
Bibliography
Source: Veri, Daniel. March, 2013. Leading the Dead - The World of Major Janos, MTVA Press. ISBN 978-963-7165-49-8.
- László Beke: Introduction to János Major's Photographs of Tombs-with an English Summary, 1972.
- Karátsony G .: János Major's graphic work, Art, 1974/7.
- Emese Krunák: The forerunner of avant-garde graphics. János Major art, Art, 1987/5.
- Éva Körner: Grotesque victim. János Major's erotic art, New Art, 1997 / 5-6.
- Antal István: Major league - János Major Prózavers, New Art, 1997 / 5-6.
- Peter Sinkovits: Self-portrait in Distortion Mirror. Conversation with János Major, New Art, 1997 / 5-6.
- Major János: (Kat. Bev., Körmendi Gallery, 1997)
- Tamás Szőnyei: Light, dark. Major János Graphic Artist, MANCS, 2000/3.
References
- ^ a b c d Veri, Daniel. The World of Janos Major. MTVA Press. ISBN 978-963-7165-49-8.
- ^ "Tag Archives: Janos Major". Retrieved 2018-09-09.
- ^ "Major János". Retrieved 2018-09-09.
- ^ "Taboo Subject". December 5, 2013.
- ^ "VASARELY GO HOME". Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía. September 13, 2011. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
- ^ "KLÁRA HERCZEG PRIZE". Retrieved 2018-09-15.
- ^ "Janos Major Prize". Transit Blog Hujngary. Retrieved September 12, 2018.