Körösfői Aladár

1863 - 1920

Aladár Körösfői-Kriesch was a painter, graphic designer and industrial designer active during the turn of the century.

He wanted to be a painter and made several field trips to Italy, Spain and France. He was influenced by the Renaissance, Quattrocento painting and the English Pre-Raphaelites.

In 1902 he founded (together with Sándor Nagy) the artist colony of Gödöllő, which became the centre of Hungarian Art Nouveau. They were not only painting symbolic images in a decorative Art Noveau or pre-Raphaelite style, but they wanted to create a diverse range of work through a variety of arts practices. Körösfői often designed textiles (carpets and textile images), mosaics, glass pictures. He also made illustrations.

There are only few known posters by him. In 1920 he designed a Historicist composition, on which a young female figure symbolizes Hungary, who is crying in front of Saint Mary, the “Patrona Hungariae”, and asks for her defense from the violent men, symbolizing the Entente Powers.                                                                                                                                   .