Baptism of Vajk

"The Baptism of Vajk" by Gyula Benczúr won First Prize in competition Minister of Culture József Eötvös announced with the purpose of promoting historical painting in Hungary. In the study prepared for the painting, which was eventually entered for the competition, a conspicuous group of pagan Hungarian was present. When the final picture was completed in 1875, there was no indication of the pagans, i.e. the opposition; after the political compromise between Hungary and Austria in 1867, those who financed the competition preferred a rendering of this decisive event without allusions to any conflicts. Vajk (the later King St. Stephen) is seen kneeling in the foreground, to be baptized by Saint Adalbert, dressed in ornate attire.

With the help of his ability to paint pompous materials and set up vivid compositions - which he acquired from his master, Piloty, and by studying the art of Rubens and Tiepolo, Benczúr created a representative tableau of Historicist painting. It is not without reason that Benczúr became the king of painting in Hungary during this period, the favourite of rulers and the aristocracy; moreover, he became a professor at the Academy of Art in Munich and later at the Master's School in Budapest. He possessed both technical virtuosity and the ability to conform with the requirements of his patrons - two assets which were necessary for obtaining his position in art.