Horváth János: Kunffy Lajos - A somogytúri Kunffy Emlékmúzeum katalógusa (Kaposvár, 2005)

The studio The spacious and high studio was built on his plans in 1909, presenting the essence of his art. A giant spiritual development can be seen on them in time and art as well. It is almost 100 years in Hungarian art history ranging from the Millennium of its academic style, the plein air Naturalism, Art Nouveau, Impressionism, Neorealism, to the Socio-realism of the 1960's nearly 100 years in Hungarian art. Some particular pictures of the academic style „Prophet Jeremiah" (1895), and „Job" (1896) the plein air Naturalism „Child burial in Somogytúr" (1907) the Art Nouveau by the paintings of his wife, the impressionism by the drafts on his journeys, the Realism by the „Agricultural Labourer Family" a triptichon and the pictures on harvesting can symbolise this period. The artist is curious about the peasant costumes, way of life, customs, and the vitality of the Gypsy from the perspective of a painter. These are represented by the set of Gypsy pictures, showing a tolerant, understanding point of view. „The whole gypsy colony have visited me, about 4-5 families, and I have always 30-40 models with their children. As the farming permitted, I spent most of my time with them, observing all their habits. It meant sacrifices, too, because they wanted my poplar trees to make hutch from them. I felt sorry about these trees, and I solved the problem giving every other poplar to them, saving the alley as well. " - wrote in his memory The main piece of the studio is the „Child burial in Somogytúr" The artist's opinion of it: „In my first year in Somogy túr I saw this sad scene, a mourning mother leaning over her child's coffin, and the parson praying with the cantor. It was extremely hot, the cantor holding a parasol over the parson, with four girls in their Sunday bests, and it was them to carry the coffin to the cemetery being a very hot harvest time, and nobody else could come. It was a very picturesque scene, but I postponed it s painting until 1906 summer because of painting parson Szászy portrait and the gypsy pictures. Only I made a draft so as to keep it in memory. That time I had no studio in Somogy túr, so I painted under a big canvas tent. Our dear parson, József Koller came to be painted, too. WJiile painting it I was visited by my friend, Rippl-Rónai, and he made me paint á la prima, that is to complete it on the spot. Despite the fact, that characters are of life-size, and the painting is 4 m by 2.5 m large I could cope with it, and the colours came out ver brightly and freshly. The „prima" style was backed by making drafts of all the details. A great amount of pictures was made in drawing, oil, pastel. I took it to Paris as rolled canvas in autumn. I showed it to masters, who were surprised. It had a strong colour local, because despite the nearness to Balaton, where so many city women came and where county women carried their products, the local national costume did not disappear. Lucien Simon, who painted the Breton people in their national costume, was really interested in it. He even asked me not to invite other painters in my village, which I did not listen to. Aman Jean wrote me a nice letter of congratulation based on this picture, while I was not in. He was a very witty writer, I enjoyed his writing on Velasquez, which is a typical artistic prose. I gave it to Aurél Bernáth as present, he is the best writer-painter among us. To see my grand picture I invited my 76