Miklós Izsó

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Miklós Izsó(1831 Disznóshorvát - 1875 Budapest) was a Hungarian sculptor. His sculptural style integrated elements of classicism and academic style.

Izsó studied at the College in Sárospatak from 1840. He took part in the war of independence in 1848-49. After the capitulation of Világos, he lived in exile.

He became a stone-cutter in Rimaszombat from 1851 to 1856 where he was a pupil of István Ferenczy. He moved to Pest in 1856.

Supported by young writers, artists and musicians, he travelled to Vienna where he worked under Meixner, then Gasser, both sculptors. From 1859 onwards he attended the Vienna Academy in Munich.

He was the first sculptor attracted by life in the country ("Shepherd Playing the Flute"). His statue of "Grieving Shepherd" of the Munich period (1862) was critically praised throughout Austria. On his return to Hungary the same year, he modelled busts of contemporary personalities ("János Arany", "Béni Egressy", "Károly Megyeri", "András Fáy", "Kálmán D. Lisznyay" in 1863, "István Márton", "Pál Almási Balogh", "Károly Ghiczy", "Ilona Zrinyi" and "Ferenc Rákóczi II" in 1870).

He also modelled scenes from life in the country ("Gypsy Laokoon", 1862, "In the Spinnery", "The Drunkard", "Woman at Harvest", "Peasant Woman Carrying Food", 1863, and "Peasant Girl", 1864). He started modelling the statue of Csokonai in 1866 and completed it in 1867. It was his only statue erected. His miniture terracotta figures, his most famous works, date from 1864- 1870.

Izsó visited Italy in winter of 1868 and became a teacher at the School of Decorative Arts from 1871 onwards.

However he died of tuberculosis at the age of 44. His last works, the statue of Petőfi (Budapest) and the Dugonics Memorial (Szeged) were finished by Adolf Huszár.

Izsó died in 1875.