Czechoslovak–Hungarian Photographic Relations between the Two World Wars  – Fórum Társadalomtudományi Szemle

The epoch between the two world wars was of key importance from the point of view of the history of photography. This was the period when depart from photographic picturesqueness took place worldwide. Even more changes can be registered in historical terms, as peace treaties closing the First World War re-mapped Central and Eastern Europe. This study examines the consequences of these two transformations in the field of Czechoslovak–Hungarian photographic relations. There is no precedent for such a review yet—fine arts research is, in this regard, further ahead. Although historical/political conditions at the time carried a lot of tension, and, on occasion, they overshadowed professional relationships too, it can be concluded that in the field of photography the issue of quality had been given greater emphasis on both sides than politics. This paper attempts to illuminate how the prevailing perceptions of photography had evolved at that time in the two countries compared to the international changes of the photographic language, and how this had reflected in the relationships. We probably do not possess all the knowledge on this yet, so further mutual reflections would be desirable in order to deepen understanding of the topic.