William Penn Life, 2001 (36. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2001-09-01 / 9. szám
Tivadar Csontvary Kosztka Solitary Cedar (Magányos Cédrus) 1907 by Barbara Kerékgyártó Widely regarded as a genius, Tivadar Csontvary Kosztka (1853-1919) was one of the greatest of all Hungarian painters. With incredible fervor he devoted his life to becoming a painter on Raphael's scale. His formal studies as a painter did not begin until he was 41. After working as a pharmacist for about 15 years, he joined the free school of Holossy in Munich. For a brief period he also studied at other academies. But, it was nature itself that he recognized as his master. The pictures created during his preparatory period, between 1894 and 1902, are marked by a primitive summary treatment and a faithful delineation of nature. Only after 1902 did his art assume an individual note, when he produced his landscapes and representational compositions of dramatic intuition. After 1904 he was engrossed by peculiar atmospheric phenomena. This period is characterized by pictures of enchanting colors in which the artist utilized the decorative charm of complimentary hues and shades. In 1907 he exhibited his work in Paris and derived encouragement from favorable reviews. He celebrated his triumph in the figure of the victorious cedar of Lebanon called "Solitary Cedar" (Magányos Cédrus). One more time... ...in English For those who don’t read Hungarian, we present an English version of this month’s “Magyar Nyelv”. We hope this summarized version gives you a general appreciation of the topic discussed. He then proceeded to create a pictorial counterpart to his magic conception of the world in a cedar composition suggesting mysterious symbols: "Pilgrimage to the Cedars in Lebanon" (Zarandoklas a Cedrusokhos Libanonban). Csontvary's last works provide evidence that he divined the problems of modem art in composition and form. "The Virgin's Well at Nazareth" (Maria kútja Nazarethben) is gentle, heavenly and earthy—a picture of the love that governs this world. His Madonna, enveloped in golden lights, in the color of the "living waters" that spread beyond the walls and flood the hills, symbolizes the wellspring of life. Beside her is the figure of the painter, pouring water for the animals. Female figures amble through glittering water. Csontvary battled schizophrenia all his life. After 1910, his mental condition further deteriorated and his art revealed depths which are forever hidden to sane eyes. He made confused notes and prepared a few surrealistic sketches, but his life's work was concluded. He died on June 20,1919, in Janos Hospital in Budapest. Csontvary welded the traditions of European painting and instinctively solved the aesthetic problems of post impressionism. In his delineation of character he is regarded as a forerunner of expressionism, whereas in his symbolic pictures he anticipated surrealism. This is probably why the organizers of the exhibition, "Fifty Years of Modern Art," at the 1958 World Exhibition in Brussels, put Csontvary's "Ride on the Seashore" (Tengerparti Setalovaglas) in the first room heading the chronology. UVPLl William Penn Lile, September 2001 15
