The 120 cm-high concrete bust standing in the garden of Bory Castle depicts Komócsin Ilona, Bory Jenő’s wife. The work is part of the series of portraits in which the artist commemorated his wife over decades; she was not only his partner, but also an enduring source of artistic inspiration.
The work’s material, concrete, is a defining element of Bory Jenő’s artistic outlook. As both an architectural engineer and a sculptor, he recognised the artistic potential of concrete, which came to play an important role throughout the entire complex of Bory Castle.
The poem inscribed beneath the portrait forms a close unity with the sculpture. The poem is a lyrical expression of the artist’s love for his wife and also provides an interpretative frame for the work. Together, sculpture and poem become a monument to conjugal togetherness, in which personal declaration and the form of visual art strengthen one another.
I have no heart
Though once I did,
The sun shone within it,
The moon dreamed.
Is it not so, my love,
I no longer have a heart,
For I gave it to you,
You keep it faithfully.
You keep it and guard it,
You placed it beside your own,
Their blazing flames
Embrace one another.
The work is framed by a resting place enclosed by a semicircular bench, a consciously designed place for contemplation. The bust can therefore be understood not in isolation, but together with its setting: it forms a memorial place that vividly expresses one of Bory Castle’s central ideas, the unity of art and personal feeling.