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Bertalan Székely a faithful disciple of the Viennese and the Munich Academy, always made meticulous preparation for each oil painting and drew several studies before starting a project. As captain of the fort of Szigetvár, in 1682 Miklós Zrínyi attempted to stop the Turkish army attacking Hungary from the south. The theme of this heroic battle began to interest Székely in 1862; this particular drawing, however, was made shortly before 1884.
In addition to revealing the superb drawing skills of the artist, Zrínyi's Charge from the Fortress of Szigetvár is also proof of Székely's flair for composition; the sketch emphasizes the contrast between the crowd ready to fight on the right, and Zrínyi's figure, focused with the help of architectural elements, on the left. Besides drawings, Székely made several colour and composition studies in oil before completing his great painting in 1884.
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