Transrealism is a branch of visual art exposing that which is over realism, appealing to one's own perception of the truth over adherence to the actual fact; transrealism is the poetry of visual arts. The ars poetica of transrealism was created by the well known 20th century Hungarian poet, Attila József in his 1937 poem Welcome to Thomas Mann: "You know this well: the poet never lies,

The real is not enough; through its disguise

Tell us the truth which fills the mind with light

Because, without each other, all is night."

Transrealism first appeared in the visual arts during the early 1980ies through the works of painter Zsuzsa Mathe; but many of its applications can be found in film (like Terry Gilliam's Brazil (1985) and photography as well.

Transrealism is not a simple technique of using the brush, like pointillism, neither is it a singular expression of style, like cubism, or impressionism. Transrealism is the common denominator of those pieces of art that effectively communicate that which we all know is true. It integrates any stylistic element and technique to communicate the perceived truth, the intended content.

As stated in its ars poetica, to understand a transrealist artwork one does not need to be an expert in various styles of art. It is the art of the 21st century fulfilling the long awaited return to the basics: art is communication, and it shall be understandable by the observer; it shall not expect the audience to be sophisticated or educated in the subject. Instead it is the artist`s responsibility to be versed enough in their profession and their tools of art to be able to express themselves to convey a message and be universally understood.

Born on May 4, 1964, Budapest, Hungary, Zsuzsa Máthé was raised in a culture-rich civic environment, where playing the piano, speaking foreign languages was a natural must. By the age of 5 she spoke not only her mother tongue, Hungarian, but German and French as well. She exhibited a very early talent for drawing. During her years at primary school, she was admitted to private lessons on how to draw, and while attending one of the most prestigious secondary schools of Budapest, Radnóti Miklós Gimnázium, she started painting; and she painted in her small Terézváros room on the floor using oil, acril, paintbrush, spray-gun, fingers whatever available to create an original style yet to be defined. It was at the early age of 18, in 1983, when her first own exhibit opened. Entitled The First Exhibit of Transrealism the show marked the beginning of a new era in the visual arts. Transrealism[1] is inspired by the great Hungarian poet Attila József who writes in his poem Welcome to Thomas Mann (1937) "... You know this well: the poet never lies,

The real is not enough; through its disguise

Tell us the truth which fills the mind with light

Because, without each other, all is night. ...

As an avid supporter of pressing environmental issues and a foe of the socialist regime, she was one of the founders of Duna Kör, the public group that was a melting pot of intellectuals who's work eventually accumulated in the change of political system of Hungary in 1989. Although the suppressive political climate was almost prohibiting her public appearances, the following years each saw new paintings appearing in various local exhibition halls. Yet her entry was repeatedly denied to the ivory towers of the fine arts. By the age of 21 she extensively visited most countries in Europe, from communist Russia to the UK where she obtained qualifications to be able to start up one of the first privately owned English language schools of Budapest. From this point on, she tried to support herself from the little money she earned by teaching Enlish during daytime while painting over the nights. The fall of the socialist regime however finds her in Israel at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design as one of the finest students ever walking the corridors, as one of her professors stated. Her art of this era is often characterized by biblical characters and themes. Today Zsuzsa remains one of the most original painters of the late 20th century. Zsuzsa Mathe is one the most original modern painters of the New Wave internationally. Her arts had been exhibited in Budapest, Hungary and various galleries around Israel, but her works are respected from Sweden to New York City as well. The exceptional quality and impact of her communication grabs the attention of every generation. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zsuzsa_Mathe