A World's Fair in Italy: Turin 1911

Lajta, Bela

Name:	Lajta, Bela
Gender:	Male
Birth:	1873
Death:	1920
Description:	The works of Béla Lajta (1873-1920) were characterized by pre-modern elements, and we can refer to his style as characterized by hybrid elements due of the combination of Scandinavian and English achievements, and modern post-Art Nouveau elements. With Kozma Street Cemetery's Schmidl crypt. As remarkable and in comparison with Attila Pavilion, we can remind The Main Portal of the Institute for the Blind(Budapest, 1905-1908) and the Entrance to the Jewish Charity Home (Budapest, 1909-1911) which both anticipate the structure of the portal of the Hungarian pavilion.
Structures:	Pavilion of Hungary Hungary is so modern in aesthetic expression and so jealous of its national traditions. The pavilion is the most striking in the International exhibition: austere in its exterior, beautiful and bizarre inside, this building of noble proportions and harmonious coloring ... is reminiscent of India and Persia ... and inspired by antique Hungarian motifs. (Melani, 289) Named “King’s Attila Tent-Palace,” the Hungarian Pavilion was unanimously considered the “Pearl of the Exposition” and praised for its ability to evoke a sense of motion in a perfectly geometric structure. The designers’ aim was to give visual expression to the power of the Hungarian military tradition, underscore its relevance to the present, and celebrate the strong and determinate nature of the Hungarian nation and its people. Made of wood, the Pavilion of Hungary combined the Romantic vision of the Tent-Palace of ancient king Attila with the Modernist inspiration of its stern cubic blocks. Harmoniously fused in the pavilion, Romantic echoes and Modernist traits are the defining elements of Hungarian functionalism. The building is a mirror of the lively social and cultural situation of the Hungarian nation, and particularly Budapest, during the first decade of the twentieth century. The Pavilion of Hungary was located on the left bank of the river Po, next to the Main entrance on Corso Vittorio Emanuele II and the Orto Botanico (botanical gardens). It was designed by Hungarian architects Emil Tőry, Móric (Maurice) Pogány, and Dénes Györgyi. An eclectic building, combining Art Nouveau elements with the features of National Romanticism, it covered 6000 square meters, and was considered "the pearl of the exposition." Le Eposizioni di Roma e di Torino nel 1911 descritte ed illustrate (volume 4, January 1911, 31) described the building under construction as "una costruzione eminentemente caratteristica, con decorazioni cromatiche in maiolica" (a remarkably characteristic building with colorful maiolica decorations"). The Mostra Forestale Ungherese was located next to the Pavilion. Interpretive Essays National Romanticism and the Hungarian Pavilion The Hungarian Pavilion: Exterior The Hungarian Pavilion: Interior