Takács István Exhibition

István Takács.The greatest master of the late Baroque in Hungary. He was born as a Mezőkövesd Matyó, the child of poverty-stricken peasants.

He studied in the Mezőkövesd Grammar School then graduated from the College of Applied Arts on the faculty of painters.

First of all he is known as a painter. The number of the churches which he decorated with his frescos, altar-pieces, series of stations and Lenten canvas is about 290. The frescos and series of stations in the Basilica of Eger are considered to be the greatest masterpieces of his life. On his frescos he liked painting the Virgin, the Holy Family and the Hungarian saints.

Religious painting however was only one side of his artistic career, which can be proved by his great success in other fields of painting. His love for the Matyó region and its people can be felt in the pictures he has painted. These paintings show us the world of the Matyós the way he saw it as a young man and the way he saw the national costumes and the life of the peasants through the eyes of an artist. That is how he has been able to paint the colorful world of these people, which now can only be seen in museums. With his artistic activities he played a great part in preserving the Matyó customs and traditions and in showing us their lives and world.