The most characteristic feature of the 60-year-old artist Jónák Tamás is that he paints pictures with mythological topic. The artworks now shown at the Tornyai János Museum in Hódmezővásárhely have mythology as topic. The main characters are Achilles and Thetas who often appear in Jónák's paintings.

Before he entered the Collage of Fine Arts, Jónák had worked at a cartoon studio. At the beginning of his career he mainly did self-portraits. However, this genre did not offer him opportunity for self expression. He discovered mythology as topic for his works around that time. The story of Achilles effected him greatly. Achilles was a hero who has the opportunity to grow old as a respectable man or die young though as a hero. Achilles decided on living a short but heroic life and so he became the hero of Troy. Jónák Tamás portrayed Achilles and his mother, Thetis who did not want to loose her son at a young age several times.

At the exhibition in Hódmezővásárhely several pictures show the relation of Achilles and Thetis. These two figures determine the atmosphere of the whole exhibition. Several of the pictures only portray the mother, but the artist admitted that these also included the figure of Achilles only he erased it. However, inquiring eyes would discover his figure in the pictures.

The display also includes portraits, nudes and two expressionist works that portray the cat of the artist. One of the paintings shows the relationship of the philosopher Nietzsche and women but we can also see a portrait of Delacroix in his studio.

Jónák Tamás was awarded at the Autumn Exhibition of Vásárhely in 1995. He uses thick paints on his canvas, his lead of brush is emotional. He often puts paint from the tube onto the canvas. 'The centre motif of his art is always man, full of fear and distress, the man who must face his doubts' - characterises Wehner Tibor Jónák Tamás' art.

To my question if he has faced a compulsion to choose in his life he answers: 'I began to draw as a young child. I believe my fate was to become a painter. I had no other choice. It is true, there were times when I considered quitting and live like an average citizen, but I could not live without art. I always found myself around painting. That is probably because I liked it. Nevertheless, in this world today I feel like a stranger. Society does not provide me with enough tasks.' - says the artist who wishes to fight for painting art so that it does not become a marginal art.