Budapest through the eyes of artists | TOP 5

A city bubbling with life, packed with beautiful buildings, and overflowing with culture. This is what captures the attention of every visitor to Budapest. But do we, the residents, have the same perspective on the city where we spend our daily lives? In today’s selection, we have gathered a handful of artists who show us, through their own filter, the nature of life in Budapest, with all its various facets, be they positive or negative.

Marcus Goldson

Marcus Goldson is a Kenyan-British painter who arrived in Budapest in the early nineties and was immediately swept up by the atmosphere of the Hungarian capital. He goes everywhere with a sketchbook to capture anything that catches his eye without delay. Marcus creates detailed, humorous, and scarily accurate ‘character profiles’ of the passers-by, archetypes of the citizenry, with the potential to make you laugh and cry at the same time. His recurring locations are Baross Street, Mikszáth Square, and Kálvin Square, which he uses to create a realistic backdrop for the stereotypical characters. Each of his drawings conveys to the viewer a unique inner world, one that every Budapester is quite likely to be familiar with.

Aliz Buzás

The sophisticated and distinctive works of Aliz Buzás thematize life in the capital, its districts, buildings, or even means of transport. Her colorful and eye-catching style has been noticed by many, her works Budapest 150 and The Paul Street Boys are among the best known, the latter of which was used by the Színes Város (Colourful City) team to create a mural in Leonardo da Vinci Street.

Bori Zatykó

The borkadesign Instagram account, featuring illustrations by Bori Zatykó, was created three years ago, during the quarantine. The ever-expanding repertoire presents a spectacular array of the typical Hungarian experience. Her illustrations encompassing all generations are inspired by ordinary settings and everyday phenomena, but borkadesign’s uniqueness lies in its ability to create situations and “romanticized” images that evoke memories that are familiar to all.

Dániel Szinvai

The graphic designer and illustrator graduated from the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design and currently works as a freelance artist and as a teacher at a drawing school. He is involved in various areas of graphic design, and his style is particularly characterized by narrative and illustrative creative processes. All of his projects are experiments in finding his voice and developing the most expressive style that suits him. In his work, he seeks to reveal the world around us through his own filter.

Zsolt Vidak

His richly detailed and humorous small scenes capture the hustle and bustle of urban life. His creations include both silhouettes of famous buildings and completely crazy elements that may not catch your attention at first, but if you take the time to absorb and reflect on what you see, you will have an experience like no other. The artist’s unique style, vivid use of color, and subtle touches of humor have become his trademark. He combines original locations with fictional characters or elements that give his paintings a certain complexity. Thanks to the meticulous and unusually lengthy creation process, each image is well thought out and executed, from the first to the last brushstroke.

Marcus Goldson | Web | Facebook | Instagram
Aliz Buzás | Facebook | Instagram | Behance
Bori Zatykó | Facebook | Instagram
Dániel Szinvai | Web | Facebook | Instagram
Zsolt Vidak | Web | Facebook | Instagram

• design
• budapest
• illustration
• marcus goldson
• aliz buzás
• bori zatykó
• dániel szinvai
• zsolt vidak