TELEPY, Károly
(b. 1828, Debrecen, d. 1906, Budapest)

The Ruins of Diósgyőr Castle

1860
Oil on canvas, 53 x 79 cm
Magyar Nemzeti Galéria, Budapest

Károly Telepy, a typical representative of Romantic landscape painting in Hungary, was the secretary of the National Fine Art Society for decades. Similarly to several other painters in the second half of the 19th century, he was very much attracted to the events of ancient Hungarian history. This is one of the reasons why he so often depicted castles, the witnesses of stormy events. The Ruins of Diósgyőr Castle was painted in 1860. The significance of the ruins in the background is doubled by their image, mirrored in the lake. The colourful group of women in the foreground creates a fine counterpoint in the well-balanced composition. The painting show the impact of Markó's Italian circle.