I had a slightly easier situation at the beginning of my career as a visual artist, as I was born into an artistic family. My father, Fassel L’ousa Ferenc (1915–2009), was a graphic artist and painter who studied under the great masters of the time and received a thorough six-year education at the then Applied Arts College. He passed this disciplined, thorough artistic training on to me. We had many art books (thankfully without TV and the internet), and classical music was always playing in the background, as I remember. Of course, the inheritance of talent is also important for advancing in the arts, though it's not a given everywhere. In 1964, I was accepted to the Graphic Arts Department of the School of Fine Arts, which was a big deal back then. I have fond memories of my teachers, such as Gábor Gacs, Tibor Zala (our then principal), László Miskolci, and Gábor Pásztor. I drew a lot, not just for required assignments, but also in my free time.
In the last three years of school, I won prizes in drawing competitions, which helped me get into the college. Despite a huge number of applicants, I passed the entrance exam to the College of Fine Arts and was accepted into the Applied Graphics department on my first try. Initially, we focused on drawing, painting, and anatomy. Unfortunately, when I was about to specialize, the legendary György Konecsni passed away. My painting teacher was Szilárd Iván. I was still able to study anatomy with the beloved Jenő Barcsay, who soon retired. He always told me in his distinctive high voice, "You really like to draw…" His assistant was the then young László Patay, who taught me from a completely different perspective. Luckily, there was cross-over between departments, and this allowed me to create etchings with Tibor Rozanits and Károly Raszler. My teachers in the department were Zoltán Tamássi and Crescencia Zelenák. During my college years, I started making animation films, which was a continuation of my early visits to the Pannónia Animation Studio in my high school years. Two of my animation films (one of which was a "Petőfi 73" painting animation) won the national festival’s grand prize in 1973 and 1974, which served as a ticket to the Pannónia Film Studio, where I worked as a designer-director until 1991. At the beginning of my college years, I changed my name to Cakó.
One of my first paintings was a colorful image I made for a children's drawing competition organized by the Puppet Theater, for which I won first prize at the age of 6.
Many classical and modern painters have influenced me, although it’s difficult to pinpoint when and how these experiences and visuals become part of one’s consciousness. I believe that in the beginning, it’s not harmful to paint in a similar style to the great old masters. I never liked copying, but I did paint a self-portrait in the style of the Northern Renaissance, and sometimes portraits of my friends. This isn’t shameful, because it’s at this moment that the truth becomes clear: What do I know, what don’t I know, where do I stand, and what direction should I take? Do I have the necessary technical skills?
I am essentially a graphic artist. A true painter has a different way of seeing things. However, the combination of both disciplines can lead to very different results.
In the gallery, I find the works of painters who combine drawing skills with painterly vision most inspiring.
As a filmmaker and visual artist, I see things in a very different way.
Since I’ve been making animation films from the beginning and continue to do so, visual dynamism, movement, and narration are very important to me. That’s why I can’t quite connect with non-figurative painting, even though it undoubtedly has some beautiful pieces. I try to bring that dynamism, storytelling, and emotion into my paintings as well. I like it when the image “takes me.” In other words, I want to be able to improvise, just like in the sand-drawn films I create. I imagine that this “free” drawing is one of the reasons for the many international festival awards I have received. The solid artistic training has contributed greatly to the success of my films.
Inspiration is a difficult question. When one has to work industrially, as often happens, inspiration can be summoned from routine. But the true inspiration often comes in a calm, trance-like state, catching the artist by surprise. You never know when it will come, but when it does, it’s there.
This is the real, enjoyable creative process, the driving force. It’s always about having an idea to work on that feels worth it. When that idea connects with the audience’s feelings, that’s a true miracle.
As for how many paintings I’ve created in my life, I can’t say. What I do know is that every 2-3 years, I was able to hold exhibitions, where I also tried to delight the guests with live sand animation performances. It’s fantastic because, in the end, the viewers become part of the creative process. The same experience is shared when they see my sand animation performances at large venues, accompanied by a symphony orchestra, such as at the MÜPA (Palace of Arts) for example. (sandanimation by Ferenc Cakó)
I constantly follow contemporary artists.
I spend a lot of time in my studio, which for me branches into two directions: visual arts and animation films. These two fields inspire and support each other. I try to bring painterly elements into my sand animation and bring the dynamism of film into my paintings.
For relaxation, I enjoy reading, photography, gardening, and, of course, drawing with pencils. I sketch a lot of small ideas on paper, which might later become a painting or a film. I have many sketches, but of course, not all of them turn into something.
Achieving one’s own style doesn’t happen quickly, but even a lifetime is not enough for an artist to express or create everything they want. In a film by Pasolini set in the Middle Ages, where he plays a painter working on a large fresco, he constantly has visions and then quickly works on them. When the scaffolding is taken down and he looks at his painting from a distance, he says, “But it looked so beautiful in my mind,” and the film ends there.
Musically, I am quite eclectic, but I have a great love for classical music.
I also enjoy modern classical music, such as Bartók, Kodály, Respighi, Ravel, Bizet, and others.
It’s not irrelevant that the music in my films plays a significant role in enhancing the mood of the visuals. The music selection in my live sand animation performances is also crucial. It’s about finding that perfect visual-auditory combination that is enjoyable to create and also resonates with the audience.
Every visual artist dreams of exhibiting their works in the most prestigious places. This involves a lot of exhausting organizing, in addition to creating the artwork itself. I am glad to receive invitations to large theater performances as well. This is, after all, another form of exhibition since I can draw for up to an hour at a time. Nowadays, performance art in visual arts has also become quite popular.
The style of a prolific artist is constantly changing. Of course, it’s great if people recognize an artist’s work by their style, but the true sign of success is when the artist’s work constantly evolves. I strive for variety, both in technique and content.
There are many old and contemporary painters whose work I admire, but I also keep an eye on sculptors. Today, everything is available on the internet. In the past, a painter had to travel for weeks to see another artist’s work.
At 51, I had the opportunity to exhibit at the Vigadó, where I also performed live in the theater.
Primarily, I’ve achieved great international success in animation over the past 25 years. With my sand animation films, which are heavily based on drawing and dramaturgical concepts, the drawings move, which is significant because it takes months of work to create such visuals. This is one of the reasons I’ve received awards such as the Cannes Palme d’Or, the Berlin Golden Bear, and many others. It’s difficult enough to get into the competition program of a festival, but winning these prizes is an incredible achievement.
In my free time, I love gardening, cooking, spending time by the water, and hiking.
During the pandemic, I started creating etchings again. It’s fantastic to work with this 500-year-old technique. Finally, I can fully express my graphic and drawing instincts. Maybe I’ll even make a film again, though since I’m the one doing the animation, it’s a lot of physical work.
I would like to tell the buyers of my works and others that they should buy high-quality pieces they emotionally connect with.
Cakó Ferenc (1950 Budapest)
