Ox Cart Taking Pete Home in A Tale about Furniture and a Little Boy Anna Lesznai

The poetess and textile artist Anna Lesznai wrote storybooks for children, which she illustrated with charming drawings, captivating children’s imagination. A Tale about Furniture and a Little Boy was published in 1918. The story shows the evolution of a naughty boy, Pete who learns to respect nature and craftsmanship through specific tests. The drawing depicts the boy returning home on a cart drawn by oxen. The foreground is almost completely filled with colourful leaves and the large yellow fruits of a pear tree, while the actual theme of the illustration, Pete’s oxen and cart are lost amidst the luxuriant vegetation. The white oxen, as small matchstick figures, are marching out of the image. Their way is lined by colourful trees with magnificent foliage.
Lesznai learnt embroidery from peasant women on her father’s estate in Körtvélyes. The flower, vase and tree of life motifs are defining elements of her compositions, in which she further developed the elements of folk ornamentation and arranged them into decorative units. She used similar methods in her illustrations for tales, where the colourful, lively drawings are composed from strongly stylized, simplified forms.