The exhibition “The Dreamer Who Brought Clay to Life – The Ceramics of János Németh” explores the essence of the works of this widely celebrated artist.
The works of the Kossuth Prize-winning ceramic artist have been presented in numerous group exhibitions and nearly eighty solo exhibitions in Hungary and abroad.
Forever Egerszeg
János Németh was born in Zalaegerszeg, and he neither can nor wishes to detach himself from his hometown. He not only encounters familiar faces at every turn, but also knows the town’s houses, streets, squares, and trees. He knows the hills surrounding the settlement, the streams flowing beneath them, the rows of vineyards climbing the slopes and promising sparkling wine, the fields adorned with swaying ears of grain, as well as the mysterious world of the cool, semi-dark forests of Göcsej.
He delights in the white walls of ancient churches built by human hands, in the bell towers carrying their ringing melodies, in the roadside crucifixes sanctified by the body of the Redeemer, and in the protective statues of saints.
He understands the accumulated wisdom of generations of people who created simple yet meaningful works, and he shares their way of seeing the world.
He is one of them. Although he was trained by the finest masters at the College of Applied Arts, travelled extensively as a recognised artist, and became familiar with the messages of creators from the great cultures of the world – messages that he incorporates into his own works – he has always remained one of them.
The artist who opened a door to the world for the people of Zala has also created a passage in the opposite direction. Wherever his works – transforming the clay of Zala through artistic ingenuity – appear, whether in public spaces or as focal points of exhibition halls, they always convey the worldview of the people of Göcsej, who live the past within the present. They know that they are an integral part of the world’s course and bear responsibility for it, as well as for the gifts entrusted to them. Every work by János Németh reflects this responsibility.
(László Kostyál)
Highlights from the János Németh Exhibition
Rooster, 1959 (and its 1966 replica), glazed ceramic, 86 cm
The young ceramic artist, having recently graduated, remained at the College of Applied Arts as a scholarship student for a year after earning his diploma. On the 40th anniversary of the Hungarian Soviet Republic – an event of iconic significance for the political system of the time – scholarship students were tasked with creating a politically themed artwork to commemorate the occasion.
After much deliberation, János Németh chose a crowing rooster as his subject. The choice was not overly direct, yet it carried strong allegorical meaning. The work immediately attracted attention through two significant innovations.
The chromium oxide glaze, which melts and flows during firing to create a distinctive red-and-black surface, suited the rooster – transformed into a revolutionary symbol – perfectly. Even more important for his future artistic development was the way he constructed the figure from tubes, cones, solids of revolution, and their sections.
This was the first appearance of the technique that would later become a defining characteristic of his art.
Németh originally intended to inscribe the years 1919-1959 on the pedestal, but when his master, Miklós Borsos, heard of this plan, he simply replied:
“You know what? Don’t write anything on it. It is perfect as it is.”
It was a major achievement that the Rooster was immediately exhibited at the 5th Exhibition of Applied Arts in the Műcsarnok (Kunsthalle) and was subsequently acquired by the Museum of Applied Arts. The replica created seven years later eventually entered the collection of the Göcseji Museum.
Dionysus Jug, 1974, majolica with clay glaze, 48 cm, on loan
One of the characteristic strands of János Németh’s work consists of ceramic jugs decorated with reliefs. In the foreword to one of his books, he recalled visiting a major exhibition of folk ceramics at the Hungarian National Gallery in the 1960s. Among the exhibits, ornate guild jugs made a particularly strong impression on him.
At that moment, he decided to create his own “guild jugs”. In this case, however, the term refers less to their function than to their representational character.
The surfaces of these vessels – sometimes broad, sometimes slender, and ranging from jugs and cauldrons to bottles and pitchers – are adorned with allegorical scenes and figures rendered in relief. Elements of Christian iconography, Greek mythology, and Hungarian legends all appear, reinterpreted through rich symbolic content.
As in his small sculptures, the figures reveal forms derived from solids of revolution and their sections. The Dionysus Jug depicts the Greek god of wine and ecstasy among numerous symbolic references, including grapes, the duality of the sun and moon, and stars. It is both an early and one of the finest examples of this characteristic series.
Folklore, 1990, ceramic relief with clay glaze, 63 × 76 cm
Monumental sculptures intended for public spaces represent, in a sense, the pinnacle of plastic arts. Although János Németh is fundamentally a ceramic artist, he created many sculptures and reliefs that can also be appreciated from the perspective of monumental sculpture.
Motifs and ideas drawn from Hungarian folklore decorate his large ceramic walls, including those on the buildings of the Keresztury House and Kölcsey Secondary School in Zalaegerszeg, as well as the Hungarian Embassy in Canberra.
The latter work, covering nearly twelve square metres, bears the title Folklore. Thousands of kilometres from the Carpathian Basin, it presents compelling images of the traditional worldview of the Hungarian people.
The artist worked on it for nearly six months.
The model displayed here includes many recurring motifs: the shepherd keeping watch over his flock day and night; the characteristic bell tower of Göcsej calling people to prayer; a peasant couple raising a coat of arms and a flourishing tree of life; a memorial pole preserving the memory of ancestors; deer resting in shady valley forests; and ripe ears of wheat bending in sunlit fields.
A multitude of symbols tells the story of a disappearing yet enduring past – one that lives deep within us and continues to shape Hungarian identity and the present day.
Although the various elements do not form a unified spatial composition, they appear naturally and decoratively on a flat surface. Their combination remains entirely harmonious.
This magnificent work embodies the full essence of János Németh’s artistic vision and worldview.
Curator’s Favourite: Southern Continent, 1969, ceramic relief with clay and tin glaze, 30 × 41 cm
Southern Continent belongs to the artist’s early reliefs in which geometric forms derived from solids of revolution receive particular emphasis and strong plasticity.
The small relief is narrative in nature. After a long ocean voyage, the crew of a sailing ship accompanied by giant fish finally catches sight of a distant southern land. Among its palm trees, a peaceful native lies sleeping.
The deliberately awkward, almost clumsy figures are charmingly naïve and yet brilliantly expressive. With only a handful of fairy-tale-like motifs, the artist manages to tell the story of an entire expedition.
The remarkable intensity of expression makes the considerable difference between the motifs themselves and our mental image of them entirely unproblematic.
Németh did not model them as they appear in reality, but rather in a way that most effectively communicates the content and atmosphere he wished to convey.
The simplicity of the relief and its reduced visual vocabulary are paired with strong inner energy, resulting in a work of exceptionally high artistic quality.
Biography of János Németh
1934 – Born in Zalaegerszeg
1958 – Graduated from the Ceramic Department of the College of Applied Arts in Budapest, studying under István Gádor and Miklós Borsos; subsequently began working at the Zalakerámia factory.
1961 – First exhibition, Zalaegerszeg
From 1969 – Freelance artist living and working in his hometown.
1970 – Munkácsy Prize; first major public commission, a 35-square-metre work in Harkány Spa.
1976 – Solo exhibition, Budapest, Műcsarnok.
1978 – Awarded the title Merited Artist.
1980 – Excellence Award of the Ministry of Culture.
1988 – Solo exhibition, Budapest, Vigadó.
1990 – Relief created for the reception hall of the Hungarian Embassy in Canberra.
1994 – Honorary Citizen of Zalaegerszeg.
1996 – István Gádor Award.
2005 – Pro Arte Hungarica Award.
2008 – Knight’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary.
2010 – Permanent exhibition at the Göcseji Museum.
2013 – Member of the Hungarian Academy of Arts.
2014 – Kossuth Prize; Artist of the Nation; Honorary Citizen of Zala County.
2016 – Solo exhibition, Budapest, Vigadó Gallery.
