The Evolution of the Roma/Gypsy Visual Art Movement in the Context of Social Emancipation During the Second Half of the 20th Century

In relation to Hungary’s largest historical minority, which has been present in the country for over six centuries, only a limited number of artistic and cultural studies have been conducted that could have focused on the outstanding figures of the Roma community. As a result, the potential value inherent in these figures has largely remained unexplored. The cultural and artistic values of Roma communities, their social background, and the impact of these on social emancipation remain under-researched topics. Thus, an empirically based investigation into these areas, driven by the innovative and gap-filling nature of such research, may yield novel insights and raise further important questions. The emergence of the Roma visual art movement in Hungary, along with its contemporary and evolving processes, offers an exciting and continuously changing organic platform for investigation. This will help to address the lack of previous documentation and introduce a new focus—one that centers the views of Roma artists themselves. These artists’ perspectives serve as primary, authentic approaches to the contexts of Roma identity interpretation and creative mechanisms, which can be explored with scientific rigor.

The research utilizes semi-structured expert interviews to uncover the personal thoughts and individual artistic views of a small, often closed, creative community. This methodology provides insight into the unique circle of Roma artists, their social background, processes of integration, and their artistic ars poetica. Among the dissertation’s key outcomes is the definition of Roma visual art, and the creation and analysis of a diagram titled The Emergence and Transformation of Early Roma Visual Art—an illustration of the different stages of change within Roma art. I establish a chronological framework for Roma visual art by defining periods such as proto-, early-, mature-, and late Roma art. Additionally, I introduce the conceptual analogy of “Romaissance” (or “Romassance”)a parallel to the Renaissance artistic period—and elaborate on this analogy. Another significant contribution of the dissertation is the creation of a diagram called A Single Art Space, which visualizes the relationship between Roma visual art in Hungary and Europe, and analyzes its position within the broader art scene. These findings are intertwined with the personal experiences of Roma identity interpretation, particularly in the context of artistic creation.

This research provides an opportunity for a closer sociological and art sociological understanding of Roma visual art and, consequently, the Roma minority. It also facilitates a more accurate evaluation of the Roma community’s artistic resources, positioning them appropriately within the art scene. While art is often challenging to interpret in its contemporary context, as time passes, attempts to understand, evaluate, and integrate it into the broader currents of universal art become more promising. In this regard, the present research may offer valuable reference points. However, a true attempt at understanding can only be made once Roma art has stepped out from the “shadows” cast by society’s current attitudes toward the Roma minority.

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