Nationalism in Hungarian art, c. 1860--1920

This dissertation traces the development of a national art based on heroic characters and motifs from folk tales and legends, situated within the larger social, political and cultural context of which it formed an integral part. This includes the struggle for independence from the Habsburg Empire and the seismic changes in Hungary around World War I. This research is not limited to the study of events surrounding artists' lives, but encompasses a broad historical context, focusing on the ways members of the cultural world reflected the anxieties and nationalist insecurities Hungarians felt as members of the European scene. The study is important not only because it introduces non-Hungarian audiences to an important yet unknown aspect of Hungarian culture, but also because it addresses several issues of current scholarly concern: national identity, the renewed interest in myth, folklore, and the idealized peasant, artists' colonies and Orientalism.;Familiarity with visual arts of this period is crucial to an understanding of modern Hungarian culture, and the construction of Hungarian national identity. During the late nineteenth century, artists created in response to a perceived need to establish a national school of art emphasizing the distinctness of the Hungarian character. National pride led to a renaissance of 'Hungarian style' in literature and music, followed by artists turning their attention to folk culture. Although aspects of this have been addressed in other studies, the bulk of this information is undocumented, particularly outside of Hungary. Research in the modern period has focused on the movement toward abstraction in the realm of historical narratives, often neglecting the question of nationalism due to perceptions of this type of art as retrograde. The fact that Hungarian art is more complicated than studies tend to suggest indicates the need for a reevaluation of the importance of these artists and their works.