Exhibition of Imre Égerházi and Rudolf Velényi foreword by József Menyhárt

Exhibition of Imre Égerházi and Rudolf Velényi

The exhibition of painters Imre Égerházi and Rudolf Velényi opened in the premises of the Ady Endre Cultural House on November 3, organized by the Hajdú-Bihar County Folk Culture Consultant. Both artists, although not born in this city, are considered Debrecen locals. They also profess to do so, as they have lived here since their early childhood, received their education here, and work here.

Imre Égerházi, although 38 years old, must be considered a young artist. His destiny unfolded in such a way that, although he had a sense of vocation, he could only come into a more serious relationship with art in recent years, better understanding its essence. As an SZTK official, as a husband and father, can only devote his free time to practicing art, after working hours and after completing the many, many chores of family life. However, the deep love and respect he feels for art, the stubborn will he perseveres with the obstacles he faces, is already showing results. His former – somewhat mechanical – approach to nature is now being replaced by a vision that can grasp the essence, strive for honest artisans, and can feel the intimacy of the subject. He likes to experiment. Not only does he paint with oil, but he also enjoys black and color monotopic solutions and also does Lino cutting. His topics are small street sections around the residence, old houses (Street section, Houses, Old houses), family life (Resting woman, Getting ready) and stills. As the demand for himself and the ever-higher standard of artistic quality ensure the development, we will come across year by year with his name and his increasingly full-fledged works.

The life of 23-year-old Rudolf Velényi was a happier one. Since sixth grade, he was able to get involved in the local fine arts circle that shaped his talent. After graduating from the Pedagogical College in Eger in school year 1963, he became a teacher at the local Tóth Árpád High School; where he graduated. He is not an independent artist either, but he has a constant interaction with the fine arts with his job. However, Rudolf Velényi is able to react more vividly to more modern artistic conceptions not only because of this, but also because of his constitution. In his artistic vision and choice of themes, he can already place the pursuit of monumentality and constructiveness in a central place (Firewalls, Chimneys, Gray Roof). Even in his smaller images, the editable solutions of the space excite him. He is interested in new connections between architecture and painting, and his work is already striving for mural tasks, a particularly beautiful example of which is his painting In the Harbor. It is gratifying that his artistic vision does not become stiff and harsh in the recording and transcendence of experiences. Emotional overheating and intimacy also occur in him. This is manifested not only in the explanatory power of the black chalk imaginatively used to bring colors together, but also in the power of human character to convey thought content. In his painting Ketten, he can also use the rhythm of green colors to convey a spiritual situation. In addition to his talent, he must also be aware of the responsibility that we rightly expect from him precisely because of his talent.

József Menyhárt
painter artist