Časopis ARS 31 (1998) 1-3

Zuzana BARTOŠOVÁ

Národná verzus európska podoba výtvarného symbolizmu (s prihliadnutím na dielo Martina Benku, Antona Jasuscha, Jozefa Arpáda Murmanna, Jána Koniarka a jeho interpretáciu)
[National vs. European Form of Visual Symbolism (Considering Work of Martin Benka, Anton Jasusch, Jozef Arpád Murmann, Ján Koniarek and Their Interpretation)]

(Resumé)

In searching for specifications of symbolism in Slovak visual art and its interpretation in art-historical literature I proceeded to a period when this tendency was passing away of Central-European context, to the first half of twenties. Whereas in the area of Slovakia two different cultural layers appeared that time - one which was a residue of political establishment of Central- European region set up before World War I that naturally felt to be a part of the whole of Austria-Hungarian context, and a second layer which confirmed its self-confidence by foundation of the first Czechoslovak Republic, I made an effort to observe how this fact influenced the work of authors whose works could be considered for symbolist in given period. At the same time I kept under review their art-historical interpretation. For my consideration I chose two authors with evidently non-Slovak descent, Jozef Arpád Murmann, a representative of cultural milieu of trilingual Bratislava, and Anton Jaszusch who came from and lived in mostly Hungarian town Košice, as well as two other authors acknowledging "the Slovakness" not only by the subjects of their works but also on level of declaration, Martin Benka and Ján Koniarek. Both pairs for comparison are created by one painter and one sculptor. By observation of chosen subject in art-historical literature compared to the work of these authors I came to a conclusion that Slovak art-historical literature did not cope even with the problematics of symbolism in itself - its expression towards Art Nouveau is rather more successful - and it absolutely did not get over an irrelevant barrier of national allegiance of observed artists, although after the foundation of the first Czechoslovak Republic they all worked in the area of Slovakia. Until the half of sixties the importance of Anton Jaszusch was marginalized and that of Jozef Arpád Murmann is almost ignored.

In difference, the import is put on the work of Benka and Koniarek, while Benka's work is admired non-critically as a whole, although it not only served to the ideology of fascistic so called Slovak State, but also at that time (the forties) bordered with a kitsch. In spite of many attempts of Slovak art history to reinterpret the visual art scene of the period between the World Wars including the work of symbolistically orientated authors without any regard to division Slovak vs. European - respectively with an effort to consider "the European" for a part of "the Slovak" - rooted stereotypes are still dominating: until now the paradigm of professional sight has not changed. So it is a question of future when the taste and attitude orientation of the public changes. Because while Anton Jaszusch and Jozef Arpád Murmann were creating works comparable with a level of European production, Ján Koniarek derived the impulses from Central-European art of fin-de-siècle and from Rodin's work. Benka's painting - though pleasant for watching - does not in any direction come over visual convention of the period, widely accepted by public in neighboring countries long ago.