Ödön Lechner
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Ödön Lechner (Pest, August 27, 1845 – Budapest, June 10, 1914) was a Hungarian architect, nicknamed the Hungarian Gaudí.
Lechner was one of the early representatives of the Hungarian Secession movement, related to Art Nouveau and Jugendstil in the rest of Europe, called szecesszió in Hungarian. He decorated his buildings with Zsolnay tile patterns inspired by old Magyar and Turkic folk art. The Magyar were a people that came from the east, which explains the eastern-like appearance of Lechner's buildings. He combines this with the use of materials modern for his time, such as iron.
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[edit] Early career
Lechner studied architecture in Budapest and later Berlin at the Schinkel academy. Later he went into a partnership with Gyula Partos and the firm received a steady flow of commissions during the boom years of the 1870s, when the construction of buildings lining the ring roads on the Pest side of the Danube occurred. At this stage, he worked in the prevailing historicist syle.
[edit] Travel
In 1875 Lechner's wife died, this occurred not long after their marriage. He ceased his activities with the partnership and went to Paris, where between 1875 and 1878 he worked under Clement Parent. At this time he was able to familiarise himself with the emerging art nouveau style. He took part in the design and renewal of seven castles. From 1879 he returned to work as before in Hungary and after a trip to London between 1889 and 1890 his style moved away from historicism to embracing the more modern trends of the day. Lechner ended the partnership in 1896 and received less commissions as an independent architect. In 1906 he published a summary of his views in the journal Muveszet. Lechner's final commission was for the Gyula Vermes house in the fifth district of Budapest in 1910-11.
[edit] Hungarian successionist style
Lechner aimed to form a national style, using motifs from Hungarian folk art in the decoration of his buildings as well as incorporating architectural elements from eastern cultures like Persia. He used ceramics, made by the Zsolnay]] company, on the facades. Changing directions and curved shapes also distinguish this from the Vienna Secession style. The style had many adherents as well as critics. It was to be seen by later generations of architects as a touchstone.
[edit] Works
- 1882 Szeged City Hall, together with Gyula Pártos
- 1882 - 1884 Hungarian Railway Pensioners Building (MÁV Nyugdíjintézet bérháza), Budapest, together with Gyula Pártos
- 1885-1886 Zrenjanin City Hall, Serbia, together with Gyula Pártos.
- 1891 - 1897 Saint Ladislaus Church (Szent László-plébániatemplom), Budapest
- 1893 Kecskemét City Hall, together with Gyula Pártos.
- 1896 Budapest Museum of Applied Arts
- 1896 - 1899 Geological Museum, Budapest
- 1899 - 1902 Central Post Office building, Budapest (Postatakarékpénztár)
- 1903 Tomb of Schmidl family, Kozma Street Cemetery, Budapest, together with Béla Lajta
- 1906 - 1908 Royal catolic gymnasium in Bratislava, Slovakia
- 1907 - 1913 Saint Elisabeth Church in Bratislava, Slovakia
