Talk:Kalocsa

Untitled

From the article since it doesn't belong there. – Alensha ^talk 18:43, 16 February 2007 (UTC)

Art

One of the most distinctive branches of Hungarian folk art in the territory between the Danube and the Tisza developed in the town of Kalocsa and its close surroundings. Of the various crafts of folk art practised here best known is embroidery and wall-painting, the latter being a kind of floral decoration quite unique within the country. Furniture is painted with floral designs, whilst wood-carving may be seen on peasant houses. Most archaic is the locally produced earthenware, pottery excelling in fine shapes. The folk art of Kalocsa is mostly of novel origin, developing since the end of the 18th century and becoming always more naturalistic in style.

Kalocsa embroidery belongs to the type of peasant needlework with free designs sewn with a variation of freely chosen stitches. The designs are drawn by peasant women and then embroidered. A wealth of forms may be distinguished in the embroidery and, especially since the beginning of this century, a radiant polychrome color scheme. With such colourful embroidery, the peasant costume of the Kalocsa people have special role within Hungarian peasant costumes, well-known for their beauty.

Needlework, wall-painting, painting of furniture are all practised by peasant women. As the same person is often deft in all three kinds of local art, the same traits of style may be recognized in each. The rapid development of modern economic life alters the everyday life of the peasantry. The multicoloured costumes of peasants become replaced by modern clothes in the town of Kalocsa and in its surroundings. Today Kalocsa folk art is practised mostly within the cooperative for crafts and arts.

Painting

The oldest relics of the folk art of the Kalocsa region are the decoratively carved wicket-doors and gables. The articles for personal use, tools and furniture used to be carved too. The ornamentation of the oldest painted chests was simple, the later pieces of furniture – corner-benches, chairs, chests painted with tulips – have already more varied ornamentation and richer motifs. Perhaps from this furniture-painting developed the art of wall-painting. For the furniture-painting oil colours are used and for the wall-painting however simple paint in pulverized form is used.

The art of wall-painting can be found in Hungary only in Kalocsa and its region. The women decorate the upper part of the whitewashed walls of rooms and kitchens with streaks in many colours and painted colourful flowers on them. Also the large earthenware oven was richly decorated. Similar decorations were applied under the eaves too. The decorated surface grew later in dimension and the motifs became richer. The oldest and much liked motifs are the rose and tulip, but beside them also many other flowers appear in the brilliantly painted wreathes – the lily, pansy, forget-me-not, carnation, snapdragon, foxglove, lilac, poppy, cornflower, acacia blossom, rosemary, paprika, tobacco leaf, car of wheat, sometimes birds. The young women like the splendid colours, the older the violet, „plaintive” nuances. They all paint without any preliminary sketch, with steady hand and inexhaustible imagination the most wonderful flowers on the wall. Each wall-painting women has her individual style which is still recognizable when they work jointly. The wall-painting of Kalocsa is a unique phenomenon which became world-famed by the direct demonstrations of the wall-painting women. The compositions on papers painted on the basis of wall-paintings are very popular. The traditional costume The traditional costume of Kalocsa was the same as the ones which were worn in other parts of the country until the end of the 19th century. Only the way in which they wore it was different.

It underwent a change at the turn of the century when the embroidered linen was worn as „upper” clothes. Skirts shortened. The clothes, worn on special occasions, were made of silk. The embroidered textiles came into fashion in the 1930s. The decorative silk clothes were followed by the embroidered upper clothes, the richly embroidered sleeveless jacket („pruszlik” in Hungarian) and the apron. There were differences between the costumes of the rich and poor people as well as between the costumes worn every day and the ones worn on special occasions. Later the material of clothes became more refined, more decorative and more colourful.

Parts of the upper clothes of women:

• Headdresses: bonnet, cap, under it a white shawl and a silk shawl
• Underwear („pöndő” in Hungarian)
• A short-sleeved embroidered shirt
• Richly embroidered sleeveless jacket
• Bodice

The underclothes of women:

• Skirts, at least 8!
• Apron
• Footwear (in the summer barefoot, on Sundays embroidered slippers)
• The wedding dress was used to be black

The men’s wear

• In the summer: shirt and white linen culottes and they went barefoot
• On Sundays: shirt with embroidered neck, velvet or silk waistcoat embroidered with frogging and boots
• The financial circumstances of the families influenced the quality of clothes

Of course the visitor who comes to Kalocsa can see the most famous folk art in the country. One of these is the Folk art’s house. It can be found at Tompa Mihály st. 7. This house used to be an original peasant dwelling, about 200 years old, which was built on a hill because of the high floods. It had to suffer a little during the Turkish occupation, and also the frequent floods of the Danube used to cause great harm to the inhabitants of small thatched houses. The whole region was embraced by the network of the backwaters of the Danube. The regulation of the river happened in the middle of the 19th century. The poor families had only one room, the richer ones, of course, more. Those who weren’t poor used to have a room, called „clean-room” which was used only on public holidays. The dowry of their daughters was stored here. For example: the embroidered bed clothes. Next to it was standing the carved „tulip” chest in which was the trousseau of the bride kept. The room that opens backwards was used as a pantry. The furnishing of the living room reflects the tradition: opposite the entrance room stood the corner bench which was the most majestic place of the room. Only the guests and the men could sit here; the children ate on chimney-corner and also the women spun there. The poor families used it as a bed!

The house has rammed floor which was made of clay. The ceiling was made of plank. The walls were made of rammed clay, too: thin flexible sticks of wood, which were woven together, were plastered with mud so these layers managed to go through even the flood. Something rather special and a unique visual treat is provided by the town’s small railway station, northeast of the centre at the end of Kossuth Lajos st. It was designed in 1887 and finished in 1889. Every wall from top to bottom and every other available space has been covered with the colourful floral patterns of the Kalocsa folk style. It was made in the 1930s. Pictures on the walls show the women at work on the station over the years. Inside can be seen carved and painted furniture.

Foundation of the Archbishopric

The intro says the archbishopric was founded in 1135, but the article refers to archbishop Asztrik in the 11th century. This needs to be clarified.Hollomis (talk) 01:56, 28 March 2012 (UTC)