Somogyi Múzeumok Közleményei 17/C. - Társadalomtudományi tanulmányok (2006)

Horváth János: Rippl-Rónai József ismeretlen művei - Unknown works of József Rippl-Rónai

RIPPL-RÓNAI JÓZSEF ISMERETLEN MŰVEI 119 Unknown works of József Rippi-Rónai JÁNOS HORVÁTH The art of József Rippl-Rónai is one of the most explored areas of the modern Hungarian painting, in spite of this, in consequence of the discovery of the unknown works the research pursued in the topic is open and exciting. The museum work and the art trading produce such privately owned Rippl-Rónai pictures, so-called latent works, of which we were not aware until that time which appeared very long ago or did not appear at all at exhibitions as yet, we know about the existence of them, but we do not know them. The purpose of the ex-amination of the works of such character is on one hand to determine the originality of the works and on the other hand to fit them into the whole of the life-work. In totality, it serves as a discovery constituting a novelty, discovering a value and as biographic additive material for the research of Rippl-Rónai. The representatives of the speciality look with understandable distrust at the works turned up from anonymity. Many forgeries have also to be detected among them. Kaposvár keeps in store still hidden Rippl-Rónai treasures, this is of what we give an outline. The essay following the chronology discusses first the early picture entitled interior of the Suburban Room in Paris painted in 1887. The picture of early date was born in the proximity of Master Munkácsy and still is far from the modern style of the artist. With the help of the picture we cast light on a biographic aspect. In 1887 a daughter, named Amélie Feigl, was born to the artist in Munich in 1887. We are seeking for answer to the questions concerning the jilted iover and the child. This essay expounds first the work entitled Painted Folding-screen with Parrots painted around 1897. It is the unique piece of the early secession style of Japanese spirit of Rippl-Rónai. We present unknown pastel portraits from the circle of the Piatsek - Martyn relatives. Such is the portrait of the daughter Gizella of Uncle Piatsek from 1900. Rippl-Rónai painted the childhood portraits of the children of Gizella Piatsek and her husband Arthur Martyn, those of the painter Ferenc Martyn, and of the famous physician Róbert Martyn as well. At last, the essay of János Horváth depicts the pastel portraits of another family of Kaposvár, that is, László Holló lawyers, father, daughter and son, which directs the attention of the research to the characteristic features of the Rippl-Rónai pastel pictures of the 1910s.