How a Hungarian girl without complexes, 50 years later, took off on a wave of popularity: Cheerful Yutsika

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

The art of past years does not always find a response in the souls of modern viewers. However, there are also happy exceptions. For example, a few years ago, the Internet was conquered by comics created in Hungary in the 60s. Their heroine, cheerful Yutsika, who can find an unusual, purely female way out of any situation, turned out to be still relevant. Probably, these simple pictures were really about eternal values.

The author of the series, Pal Puszhai (Pashtai), never called his favorite creations "comics", although in fact a series of three pictures, in which a small plot develops, is closest to this type of creativity. The famous Hungarian graphic artist began his career in a very unusual way: as an officer of the Hungarian State Railways, he was mainly engaged in making posters for the needs of his office. Then he became seriously interested in advertising, and only after 35 years he published the first cartoons. Pusztai's clear, comprehensible and well-composed drawing style made him one of the most significant 20th century artists in this genre. By the way, such drawings, very characteristic and bright, are always clearly associated with us with a specific period of time: 50-60-70s. In the USSR at the same time, many magazines published humoresques, drawn in the same way. However, few people knew that one of the founders of this style was an artist from “fraternal Hungary”.

In the late 50s, the cartoonist was also an animator, he released a series of films about the adventures of two soldiers - a Russian and an American. Of course, Ivan looked much wiser and prudent in comparison with Joe in these small cartoons - the sympathies of the country's government were then more than understandable. But the next creation of Pashtai, which brought him nationwide fame, was very far from politics, and this is the reason for his popularity then and revival today - the social system can change, but everyday situations remain the same, and women are called daughters Eve”, they never change.

Jucika is a young and very independent lady who always knows what to do. She can be awkward at times, but that only adds to her charm. The girl often finds herself in funny and even piquant situations, but always finds a simple and effective way out of them (or rather, one might even say “effective”). These "pictures", intended for the adult population, have become a real cultural phenomenon. The series was first created for newspapers, but then "settled" in the Hungarian comic magazine "Ludas Mati". This analogue of our "Crocodile" for many decades was the only periodical of its kind in the Hungarian People's Republic, and Yutsika was its main star. She is still considered one of the most popular fictional characters in Hungary. The popular series lasted more than ten years. Pal Pushtai has received a well-deserved calling all over the world. His cartoons and drawings were famous in many countries.

Unfortunately, on September 11, 1970, Hungary's most optimistic artist passed away. He was only 51 years old. New adventures of the popular favorite Yutsiki have ceased to be published, since the magazine's management did not change the author for this series. However, after half a century, comics about a cheerful brunette hit the Internet. Two years ago, in the spring of 2018, Pal Pusztai's comic collection was published for the first time on Tumblr, which immediately received many positive reviews. Users from all over the world were seriously interested in the history of funny drawings, and since then they have been gaining popularity.

The realities of our time are such that truly talented works can always find their audience. Yutsiki's audience was enormous. Today, on demand, you can probably find all the comics created during the existence of the project, and they all enjoy constant success. Fans of the fictional heroine even began to draw fan art - their own new versions of her adventures, which means that Yutsika is experiencing a real rebirth. The image turned out to be in great demand among young people. Whether this is nostalgia, fatigue from serious political topics, or simple curiosity - probably, art critics of the future will understand this phenomenon, but in any case, it can be noted that this heroine has successfully passed the test of time.

Sometimes uncomplicated pictures touch the soul more than works of monumental painting. This is exactly what the series from an anonymous author has become, which has been popular all over the world for several decades: "Love is …" Soul illustrations of relationships from an artist in love.