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The Two Hearted Prince

A kétszívű herceg

2025 / Coloured pencil on paper

My project is based on The Prince with Two Hearts, a folktale collected by Benedek Elek. Inspired by Hungarian folk art, I wanted the work to retain a sense of warmth and familiarity while exploring how traditional folktales can address contemporary emotional and social issues. By reinterpreting the story's theme of losing one's capacity for empathy through the metaphor of a robotic heart, I aim to connect timeless folk wisdom with the experiences and challenges faced by younger generations.

Two anatomical hearts side by side: one bound in tangled coloured wires and cables, the other patterned with red Hungarian folk-art florals.
A bearded king and a red-haired queen embrace at a laid dinner table while a black cat arches its back beside them, against a curtain of dark red folk motifs.
A large hand reaches over a red-haired boy's head while a tiny woman in a white dress and a red fox tumble through pencilled swirls of wind above him.
A crowned figure in a green robe rests a hand on the shoulder of a red-haired boy in a brown coat and tall boots, a small lit lantern hanging on a chain beside them.
A misty landscape of grey cliffs topped with yellow-green foliage, a patchwork hill in the foreground and a dark castle spire rising through the fog.