MEDNYÁNSZKY, László
(b. 1852, Beckó, d. 1919, Wien)

Marshland

1880
Oil on canvas, 28 x 42 cm
Magyar Nemzeti Galéria, Budapest

Mednyánszky is one of the most interesting and puzzling characters in Hungarian painting. He cannot be placed in any of the fashionable trends of his time, nor does he belong to any particular school. He was attracted by two subjects - the cycle of nature and the world of social outcasts. "Since my very early youth, observing nature has been my main occupation, the content of my life", he wrote in his diary. Mistry hills, lakes, moonlit forests end the endless scenery of the plain are transposed into pictures in warm greys and browns. This early painting, "Marshland", is one of the most beautiful of his oeuvre. The dejected walking figures in the rainy landscape are surrounded by pearly shimmering wetness.




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