Imagined interview with Antonio Canova and his student

The impact of Antonio Canova, the italian sculptor, the founder of classicism, and István Ferenczy, the father of hungarian scupture, is still noticeable today. The student-master pair operated in the 18-19th century, spreading classicism in the arts. In our interview, we will travel back in time, to find out what made them such beacons and how they got there.

How and why did you choose this artistic career?

Canova: In my childhood, I liked drawing and molding clay sculptures. My grandfather, who raised me, worked as a stonemason, he influenced my work greatly.

Ferenczy: I first worked in my father's workshop as an apprentice locksmith. I was already fond of arts, mostly drawing and sculpting, but I didn't take it seriously until a little later.

Where and from whom did you learn your craft?

C: In my youth Giovanni Faileri, Senator of Venice sponsored me; I started to learn sculpting from him. After that, I was a student of the Venetian Academy, where the artistic direction of the time completely amazed me. At 23, they sent me to Rome with a scholarship, where I continiued my studies.

F: At first I studied drawing in Buda and from 1815 I took up chalcography and sculpting in Bécs with J. M. Fischer and J. Kleiber. In 1818 I walked to Rome and learned marble carving in the workshop of Thorvaldsen, then, I joined Antonio Canova.

What inspired you when creating your artworks? What influenced your style?
C: Studying the antique age and mythology in the Vatican collections impacted me greatly, my sculptures evoke this era.

F: My artistic style was also formed by my studies in Rome and also inspired by Canova.

Which of your creations are you the most proud of?

C: These are some of my well-known sculptures; the Theseus and the Minotaur, the Venus Victrix, the Perseus and the head of Medusa and the The three Graces.

F: The first creations that sparked the interest of people were Pásztorlányka (Little/Young Shepherdess) and the Csokonai Vitéz Mihály mellszobra (Portrait of the poet Mihály Csokonai Vitéz); then ,the Sitting Figure of Poet Ferenc Kölcsey was met with great admiration by the public.

How does it feel to be the leading figure of an artistic era (Canova), and the spearhead of a country's sculpural culture (Ferenczy)?

C: It's an honor to be called the initiator of sculptural classicism; and I remind everyone that the past will always be a part of the present, and the future.

F: I'm also really honoured that hungarian sculpting started with me and that the sculptors after my time attained greatness by following in my footsteps.

Finally: What do you think of the impact you achieved through your work?

Canova&Ferenczy: We're proud, that our works majorly influenced the artistic world and helped inspire the generations after us. We're happy, that our efforts didn't go in vain, and our creations were left for posterity; and that we could create a link between Italy's and Hungary's art. We hope that the today's artists reach similar achievements and can create something eternal as well!

Thank you for the interview!