The voice of the era: Imre Henszlmann on the practice of art education

Abstract

This paper deals with the development and institutionalization of fine art education in Hungary. I focus on Imre Henszlmann’s study Párhuzam az ó és újkor művészeti nézetek és nevelések közt különös tekintettel a művészeti fejlődésre Magyarországban (Parallel between Ideas and Pedagogy in the Fine Arts in Antique and Modern Times with Special Regard to the Development of the Arts in Hungary). Henszlmann was a pioneer in Hungarian art history and literary criticism, the father of monument protection in Hungary and a member of the Magyar Tudós Társaság (Association of Hungarian Scholars) and the Kisfaludy Társaság (Kisfaludy Association). In the 19th century, fine art played an important role in the mediation of the national consciousness and traditions; the foundation of art institutions and schools took on a great importance. Previously, one could only study the arts abroad, and the material, themes and subject of art were integrated from a copied foreign model. A desire to free ourselves from the art of foreign nations and create our own culture and art in the fine arts, literature and architecture led to the demand for an institutionalized artistic training. In his theoretical works, Henszlmann dealt with the cultural and artistic problems of his time and offered guidelines to solve them. One of the reforms in 19th-century Hungary was the foundation of an Academy of Arts and the shaping of a national art education. Henszlmann’s Párhuzam (Parallel) joined in this initiative. The aim of this paper is to examine and interpret how Henszlmann’s Párhuzam fits into the cultural programme of its time and in the process of the institutionalization of art education. I also answer the question as to whether this effort had any effect on the aesthetic and artistic taste of the day and on the development and structure of subsequently developed art education – and, if it did have an effect, how so.