Allegorical drawing (1905 körül)

The name and activity of Sándor Nagy are inseparably linked with the Gödöllő Artists' Camp. The efforts and artistic ideas of Nagy and Aladár Körösfői-Kriesch shaped the image of the Gödöllő Art Nouveau Colony, the only organised association of Hungarian Art Nouveau. They believed that "every manifestation of life must be given artistic content" and trusted in the life-renewing, purifying role of art. In 1890, Sándor Nagy was awarded a two-year scholarship to Rome, and in 1892 he went to Paris and enrolled at the Julian Academy. In his memoirs he writes that in his search for the task of art he immersed himself in reading Tolstoy and the Evangelist Gospels. It was also here, following Mednyánszky, that he encountered the activities of the Rose Croix group and the English Pre-Raphaelite movement. During the summer he visited his home country, touring Transylvania and learning about Transylvanian art.

In 1900, after seven years in Paris, Sándor Nagy finally returned home. In 1902 he married Laura, the sister of Aladár Kriesch. After their marriage, the initials of his wife's name appeared on Sándor Nagy's signature in the light of the principle of their harmonious life and work. They settled in Veszprém, and it was from this time that Sándor Nagy's Art Nouveau artistic genius began to unfold. Like William Morris, Nagy was involved in almost every genre: graphic art, fresco painting, glass window design, plaque design, furniture, leather goods and tapestry design. The Gödöllő plant was the lifeblood of his wide-ranging activities. Its organisation began in 1902, when Aladár Kriesch settled in the village. The Nagy family moved from Veszprém to Gödöllő in 1907. Their aim was not to develop a painterly method, but to create a community life based on specific moral and aesthetic principles. The inspiration of folk art played a central role in the work of Sándor Nagy and the people of Gödöllő.

Károly Lyka publishes a longer study on Symbolic Drawings in the January 1905 issue of Művészet, together with a series of unpublished works by Aladár Kriesch and Sándor Nagy. Among them, the ink drawing entitled Scientist also deals with a very similar theme, so it is possible that the Allegorical Drawing is part of this series. Science also attracted other Art Nouveau artists, and Gyula Tichy in particular was said to have produced ink drawings in the style of science fiction. Sándor Nagy's drawing is awesome, the lines curve in the way you see in the main scene as the older man sucks the youth out of the infant. The page is reminiscent of Max Klinger's horror works, which revolve around the theme of death.