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Kálmán, Kata

Photographic artist (Korpona, 25th, April, 1909 – Budapest, 31st March, 1978.) 1969: Balázs Béla Award; 1976: Meritorious Artist Award. She began her studies at the Civic Girls’ School of the Ipolyság, privately in the year of 1919, then continued her studies first at the governmental civic girls’ school of Komárom, later finishing her high school studies at the Szilágyi Erzsébet Girls’ High School in Budapest. She acquired her high-school diploma in 1927. Materializations of the tangible differences between sections of society had a determining significance during the course of her early studies as well as her high-school years; as a the daughter of a well-to-do municipal attorney, the realization of the differences between the upper and lower levels of the social quo caused her a great deal of twinge of remorse. Following her completion of her high-school studies she began taking lessons at the private gymnastics school of Mrs. József Madzsar, where she became acquainted with Iván Hevesy, who taught cultural history. The two got married on 2nd of March, 1929. Even though Kálmán also held writer’s ambitions, she began preparing photographs in the year of 1931, parallel to the first publications of the works of Iván Hevesy, in the field of photography. During the period spanning from 1931 to 1936 she photographed primarily peasants, workers, unemployed individuals, beggars, and children. During this period of her career the mentality and works of artists such as the German H. Lerski, E. Lendvai-Dirksen, and Brassaï, as well as the Spanish I.O. Echagüe had a significant influence upon her works. When the famous Zsigmond Móricz became acquainted with her works, he undertook, differing from normal custom to compose a forward to her photographs. This was how the photographic album entitled Tiborc was published (the title given by Iván Hevessy), around the Christmas of the ear of 1937. For the album of photographs published by the Cserépfalvi publishing House Iván Boldizsár prepared a number of interpretation (Írott Képek /Written Pictures/). The book of images, as part of the then high rising public sociographic movements of the period, represented the third issue Szolgálat és Írás Munkatársasság /Service and Writing Work Group/ books. (1. Zoltán Szabó: A tardi helyzet /The state of affairs in Tard/, 2. Imre Kovács: A néma forradalom /The silent Revolution/) The twenty-four socio-photographs, published with the forward of Zsigmond Móricz, and the image explanations Iván Boldizsár, received a never before (in the case of photography) seen, positive media coverage. The positive reaction was justified: the photographs in the album, with a high level of aesthetics, and a well used photographic knowledge brought to the attention of the public one of the most actual and timely problems facing Hungarian economics and society at the time, that of the lack of land-ownership of the Hungarian Peasantry, and the effects thereof. Her “photographic book” entitled Szemtől Szembe /Head-on/, was published in the year of 1940, by the Kelet Népe /People of the East/ Publishing House, where a number of the photographs emitted from the Tiborc album were published, complemented by a number of new images. The album was begins with a four-line quote from the famous Hungarian poet, Endre Ady. The reaction to this sociographic collection, likewise containing a number of quite significant photographs, was unjustifiably much smaller in professional circles than that of the Tiborc album. The effect of movement of the Folk-Writers, had by then past its climax point. In the year of 1955 the album entitled Tiborc új arca /The new face of Tiborc/ was published, containing the portraits of the figures found in the Tiborc albums, almost 20 years later (Művelt Nép Kiadó /Educated People’s Publishing House/, introduction: the forward of Zsigmond Móricz, from the 1937 work, and the writings of Virág Móricz). Under the inspiration of Ernő Mihályfi, the album contained the still living characters of the album of the 1930’s, as well as their descendants. The images were filled with the optimism dictated by the politics of the period, however the compositional knowledge and the modeling done with lighting were evident in this album as well. Even though án participated in a number of exhibitions, she always considered the presentation of her works through photographic albums the most suitable to her persona. From 1960 till the January of 1965she was the editor of the Képzőművészeti Kiadó /Fine Arts Publishing House/, following which she conducted editorial tasks for the photographic books published by Corvina Publishing. The series entitled Fotóművészeti kiskönyvtár /Photographic Mini-Library/ begun by the Corvina publishing house is tied strongly to her work. This series constituted, within the exiting possibilities of the period, and in consideration of the situation of the photographic arts at the time the sole and only such photographic history image collection of Hungarian art. Kálmán however failed to see the publishing of the last album, of her works, published after her death. (translated by: Vladimir Végh)