Issues of medieval Szekler art

The art of Szeklerland represents a separate entity even within the closed territory of Transylvania. As the historical development and folk life of the Szeklers differ from the Hungarianness of the county to a certain extent, all manifestations of its spirit are transformed in the same way. It is not impossible that one of the sources of these differences is the peculiar nature of temperament, taste and imagination, which characterizes the Szekler man alone. The other source that is currently more tangible to us is the special situation, environment, and way of life that has existed for many centuries. It created different conditions and opportunities for the Szeklers than in other parts of Transylvania. The geographical location of the settlement is most striking in this respect. The Szeklers populate the easternmost and most remote part of Hungary. Mureş and Udvarhelyék, with their open valleys and hills and ridges, are more open to the west, thus forming a kind of transition between the rest of Transylvania and the Csík and Székely basins, which are closely surrounded by mountains. The latter are also the most characteristic of the landscape and, due to their closed nature, the most independent in terms of culture.