KAJÁN Tibor [Kalász]
graphical artist, caricaturist
(Miskolc, 3rd March, 1921 – )
1945-1950: Hungarian College of Fine Arts, masters: Róbert Berény, János Kmetty, Jenő Barcsay, Károly Koffán. 1953 and 1963: Silver Cup Tolentino; 1964: Borighera, 2nd Prize; 1953 and 1968: Munkácsy Award; 1975: Meritorious Artist Award; 1981: Golden Award of the Work Merit; 1988: Outstanding Artist Award; 1992: Pulitzer Award; 1994: Opus Award; the Merit of Honor of the Hungarian Republic, Golden Feather (the MUOSZ Award); 2004: the Middle Cross of the Legion of Honor of the Hungarian Republic. Kaján’s drawings were published from the year of 1945. Since the beginnings of his career he been the co-worker of such dailies as the Ludas Matyi, the Tükör /Mirror/, from 1964, then the Új Tükör /The New Mirror/, later the Magyar Nemzet /Hungarian Nation/, and then the Magyar Hírlap /Hungarian Journal/. His drawings and caricatures were regularly published, and are published to this day in dailies and periodicals such as the Lyukasóra /Free Period/, Magyar Tudomány /Hungarian Science/, Népszabadság /Liberty of the People/, Új Írás /New Writing/, Filozófiai Szemle /Philosophical Review/, and the Hócipő /”Snowshoe”/, as well as a number of other papers. In the series begun by Hungarian State television in the year of 1970, entitled Karika-túra /~Circle-tour/, the series began with the presentation of Kaján’s career. The drawings of Antal Gáspár played a significant role in his becoming interested in the genre of caricatures, and the development of his unique personal style, due to the master-pupil relationship, which came about between the two. Kaján is considered the pursuer of the most noble of the “Humor of Pest”, besides the humorous works of artists such as Frigyes Karinthy, Dezső Kosztolányi, and Jenő Heltai, the philosophy of the Lucifer character of Imre Madách, the drawings of Daumier, and the “wise smile” from the Gulliver of Swift, and the Cyranó of Rostand also had significant influences upon his works. His caricatures are characterized by economical usage of devices, and a clear dense mode of composition. His images are based on drawings without any surrounding texts, making use solely of the effect mechanisms of the visual mode of expression. Kaján pays attention primarily to inner occurrences, his works, within the genre of caricature belong to the engrossed and meditative trend, containing philosophical depths. The starting-point for the majority of his works is the relationship between words and figures of speech, his associations tie together notions originating from the farthest fields. Kaján always avoided direct politics within the main idea of his works, as he did effectiveness in his drawings, he always saw the main role of drawing to find the hidden relationships and bearings between issues, the disclosure and understanding of these, and the composition of the process in its suitable form and manner. The so called “necrologic-caricature”, coined and invented and produced by him, the hero or heroine of which is a figure respected and known by the artist, for whom, following the figures death, he prepares a summarizing, almost emblematic drawing (e.g.: Chaplin, Einstein, Liszt, Beethoven, Iván Mándy).
(translated by: Vladimir Végh)
