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| Készítette: Quadro Byte Zrt. |
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Doctor of the 21st century | |
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I was five years old when, seeing my statuette of a Székely peasant my dear father picked me up, sat me on his knee and said: "Oh, son, what a pity you were born a Hungarian." "Why, Father?" "Because if you hadn't been, you could become world-famous." Fortune has smiled on me, but he didn't live to see it. Another saying of his was: "Live like a lizard, hiding among rocks, and don't let others tread on you. Even a lizard has a spine, you see." These were the words of László Csíky at the jubilee assembly of the Hungarian Medical Society (MOK), after he had received the "Doctor of the 21st Century" award. The honour bestowed on him was justified as follows: "With his achievements he has contributed to upholding the reputation of doctors, enhancing their prestige and social recognition." By any standard, the "doc" of Szentes is anything but ordinary. The first highlight of his sporting career came when he was capped as a hammer thrower. As a sports physician and a coach he has coached eleven Hungarian hammer thrower champions. In the run-up to the 1984 Olympics he oversaw the training of the French throwers. Carved when he was five, his first sculpture, "Székely with Pipe" has been a treasured part of his collection ever since. His first exhibition abroad was presented in Marosvásárhely (Targu Mures), Transylvania (Romania), in 1993, the same year that his sculptures were greeted with great acclaim in the Hungarian House in Paris. His sculptures have been displayed in many parts of Hungary, too. In 2000 he was invited to the First Forum for Caricature, held in Dubai, where his sculptures of Bill Clinton, Jacques Chirac, Boris Yeltsin and Luciano Pavarotti earned him the title of world champion. At about the same time he was invited to Rambouillet, not far from Paris, to the opening of his exhibition. In Hungary, on the birthday of Ferenc Deák, (the architect of the Compromise /Ausgleich/ of 1867, which created the Dual Monarchy of Austria-Hungary) Csíky's sculpture of the "Sage of the Nation" was set up in the Ministry of Justice. In 2001 he was invited to Stockholm where his composition depicting Nobel Prize winners of Hungarian origin was unveiled by the Chairman of the Nobel Prize Nominations Committee, in the presence of some of the world's famous scientists. Unveiled at the World Symposium of Scientists, his statue can be seen at the Finnish Academy in Helsinki. In 2001 at the International Symposium in Changchun, China, he made a sculpture of Albert Szent-Györgyi, partly carving it from marble, and partly casting it from bronze. The piece, which was unveiled by the American chairman of the International Sculpture Center, has been a gem of the Chinese sculpture park ever since. In the autumn of 2003 Dr Csíky made it to Changchun a second time. Thanks to his competition portraits of Luciano Pavarotti and Jacques Chirac he was invited to the World Maquette Exhibition. On this occasion the "Foundation for the Hungarian Doctors" offered to support him, and partially financed his flight. On arrival he was welcomed with special respect and love. No wonder. At the opening ceremony of the International Sculpture Convention, attended by thousands of outstanding artists, László Csíky was presented with the first prize of the World Maquette Exhibition. It is not insignificant that this time it was doctors who lent a hand to the colleague who had gained worldwide recognition as a sculptor. Dr Csíky claims it did not come easy as someone who has worked as a doctor all his life, to be recognized and accepted by the Hungarian artist. His father moved to Hungary from Transylvania and practised internal medicine at the University of Szeged. Although László Csíky was born in Szeged, a town on the River Tisza, he often reminisces about his Székely roots. He says talent is God's gift, and it's a sin to let it lie idle. In 1966 he received his medical degree in Szeged. His knowledge of anatomy and anthropology, which he has made excellent use of in both his careers, stems from the time when under the guidance of Professor Lipták he engaged in systematic craniology. He learnt artistic anatomy from Professor Jenő Barcsay. In the Szentes Hospital he subsequently practised internal medicine. Since 1967 he has been working as a GP in Szentes, although due to changes in the health care system the name of his profession has also been changed from 'district doctor' to 'family doctor'. He believes that even though he is faithful to his medical profession, his limited scope for action has also had a part in tying him to it. László Csíky, "Doctor of the 21st Century" being presented by István Éger, the Chairman of MOK, with the cup due with the title, made by goldsmith Ferenc Ötvös Nagy. |
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