For this article in the international artist series, we turn to Hungary, featuring seven artists who create fantastic work, from awesome manga illustrations to brilliant graphic design and more! I asked each artist how their country and culture inspired their work, and they delivered fantastic answers. Enjoy!
Peter Nagy
Peter is an illustrator, motion designer, and 3D artist based in Budapest, Hungary. His work features brilliant digital illustrations with great atmosphere and lighting. Check out a small selection of his work below, or see more in his portfolio.
Contact
The scenery in Hungary has always fascinated me. I have a strong connection with nature, and in Hungary, there are beautiful forests and parks where I can become inspired. I live in Budapest and the character of the city is vibrant. I love the differences between the two sides, Buda and Pest.
Spyder
When I started my interest in art, the first classic Hungarian artworks I saw were from Mihály Munkácsy, László Paál and Színyei. They inspired me to study the atmosphere, and to try plein air painting. In my artwork, I put the focus on the atmosphere and try to bring about a special mood, just like my favorite Hungarian painters.
Mod Style
The Stolen Presents
The culture is vibrant in Hungary, and in Budapest there are a lot of exhibitions and programs, both sub-cultural and mainstream-themed. There are a lot of art spaces in Budapest where young talent can introduce themselves, as well as many festivals and programs where you can meet fellow creatives and their artwork.
Luleiya
Luleiya is an artist based in Budapest, Hungary. Her work features delightful illustrations in a colorful Manga style. Check out a small selection of her work below, or see more in her portfolio.
King That Never Was
I definitely love the nature and forests in Hungary. There are great hiking trails all around, so there is always a possibility to "get away." But on the other hand, I love living in Budapest because the center of the city is bustling and full of energy, with tons of cute cafés and parks where you can go hang out with friends.
Doll
If anything, it's definitely the nature of Hungary that has influenced my work. I used to walk in the forests and imagine all kinds of stories with elves and other fantastical creatures.
Wizard
Hakka No Togame
I'm not sure about the art community here. I know there is one but I'm not really a participant. I'm more active in global online art communities where I can get to know artists from all around the world and be inspired by them.
Daniel Vilmos Latzkovits
Daniel is an artist based in Szeged, Hungary. His work features amazing character designs inspired by his love of fantasy and sci-fi. Check out a small selection of his work below, or see more in his portfolio.
Characters/Creatures
I am a native Hungarian. I've always felt a strong calling to entertainment design, but this sounded like a crazy career and something a Hungarian could only achieve with great connections or tremendous risk taking. Needless to say, I didn't have any good connections but I am currently involved in freelance indie projects. Even in Hungary, opportunities arise for entertainment artists who gravitate more towards film and game design.
Sky Race
Hungary is an interesting place. It is cold in the winter and hot in the summer. Life is cheap but the entertainment is costly. We pride ourselves on being inventive in all sorts of ways. Perhaps too much at times.
Vehicles
Vehicles
To be honest, the biggest influences in my life were none other than Hungarians like Johann Sebastian Bach, Wernher von Braun, Vermeer, George Lucas, Syd Mead and many others.
For an artist, Hungary can be many things. You can find jobs and opportunities, but art is somewhat a luxury for most. There is definitely a growing market though. New technologies are accessible now more than ever, so artists of many trades can experiment or pioneer new ways to create. I would say Hungarian artists have great potential.
Aliz Buzas
Aliz is a graphic designer based in Budapest, Hungary. Her work features playful, illustrative designs inspired by Budapest and more. Check out
a small selection of her work below, or see more in her portfolio.
Budapest Posters
I love the buildings of Budapest and the local architecture. The city has lots of amazing hidden wonders, and despite living here for several years, Budapest still surprises me every time. I like that the city is also not too huge, so I can get anywhere easily. The different districts have diverse atmospheres but generally they are all very friendly.
Budapest Posters
Some of my work has been influenced by the region and the local culture. For example, recently I created designs dealing with transportation and different districts in Budapest. I wanted to increase the overall attention for the local events, and the beautiful sights to see.
42 the Coffee
42 Coffee
I graduated at the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design in Budapest. The students here built quite a large and cohesive art community. In addition, there are many pubs in the city where artists can meet up with each other during the evenings.
Márton Gyula Kiss
Márton is an illustrator and graphic designer based in Budapest, Hungary. His work features stunning digital paintings of vast landscapes and fantasy characters. Check out a small selection of his work below, or see more in his portfolio.
Shore 2
Honestly I have never lived abroad, so It's hard to compare it to other countries, but I believe we are lucky to live in a climate with all four seasons. The scale and measurements of the buildings as they fit into the environment, all give me the impression of being at home. As a citizen of the capital, I am still amazed by all of the highlights the city has to offer. Budapest is not a place where you can easily get lost. It's a very lively and colorful place.
Lost in the Wilderness
Hungary's history draws back a very long time, so there could easily be many things that inspire me both historically and culturally. We are in an advantageous position because most of our historical monuments have survived throughout the centuries and can be used to inspire artists today.
Whooosh
The Journey
Being a small country, this profession has its own limits in Hungary, especially because it's influenced by the capital in every segment of life. Certain artists may not know each other personally but they know each other's work. There is the existence of the online art communities, but a lot of clubs, competitions, and exhibitions are formed to feed our creative interests. I believe there is still a lot to learn about solidarity, innovation, and community building in Hungary.
Erika Bíró
Erika is a graphic and web designer based in Budapest, Hungary. Her work features her love for all things geek, transformed into gorgeous seamless patterns. Check out a small selection of her work below, or see more in her portfolio.
Catstronauts
I love the diversity in Hungary. There is so much to look at and feel. Hungarian people are also very diverse. We have a lot of culture and our nation has been mixed throughout the centuries. This mixing gives us a very enchanting and bohemian-like feeling.
Mushroom Garden
I think the mix of cultures here helps me to be open minded. I'm using motifs from a lot of different nations depending on the purpose and the topic of the project I'm working on. There is inspiration everywhere!
Opossum Blossom
Bunny Meadow
There are several art universities and colleges in Hungary. This is the reason that there are many small, design-related groups with enthusiastic members who know each other well and work together even after graduating.
We used to say, that the designers in Hungary are a small group. You can reach one person through two or three mutual friends. There are meetups and big events for us where we can chat about art, work, clients and the meaning of life. And above all this, there are design and fashion markets every month, as well as different design weeks and exhibitions too.
László Kónya
László is a graphic designer based in Békéscsaba, Hungary. His work features a unique cartoon style used to draw crazy characters and colorful background illustrations. Check out a small selection of his work below, or see more in his portfolio.
Cursed Knight
Hungary is really calm, well, at least in the city where I live. And there are no large distances between two places.
Hellboy
I'd say that the local culture hasn’t really influenced me—though maybe a few Hungarian cartoons have, but nothing special. I draw my main inspiration from a lot of different foreign cartoons, comic books, novels and movies.
Sidekicks Backgrounds
Kindergarten Photo Backdrop
Unfortunately, I know only a few people personally who do this sort of thing, whether it's digital or traditional art. But they are all really awesome and talented in their areas and I feel lucky to know them.
Many thanks to the artists who took time to answer my questions and share a bit about themselves and how their country and/or culture has affected their work. You can check out more of their work in the links below:
