Traveling Back To A Previous Century

Most likely, like in any are of life, there are trends in art as well, that can be tied to a certain period of time. I'm lacking the knowledge to confirm it, but visiting so many exhibitions gives me some kind of confirmation. These trends may refer to themes and topics as well as painting style or materials used, like paint and/or canvas.

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At my last exhibition, I noticed something I've never, or rarely seen before and I'd like to share it with you. Let's see if I'm right, or it was just a coincidence.

Oszkár Nagy - Landscape From Baia Mare (1936) - oil on canvas

It's a nice landscape, if you like this rough style, as I call it. But what caught my eye here was the quality of the canvas.

I took a close-up photo, to be able to show it to you. Trust me, my first impression was I'm seeing those grain bags people used to use centuries ago. Maybe there's a connection between the rough type and the rough canvas, I can't tell for sure, but it must be difficult to paint with precision on a canvas like that.

Laura Mándy - Landscape From Baia Mare - oil on canvas

Same title, different painting from a different author, but the canvas was just as rough as the previous one.

I suppose if you prime it with gesso, or whatever they were using back then for priming, then you can have a smoother surface, but here you can still see the texture.

To clarify my position, I'm not against it, I found it quite interesting at the exhibition and I think you need some courage and skills to use such canvas as it makes your mission a bit more difficult.

Camil Ressu - Landscape at Vlaici (1911 - 1912) - oil on canvas

This landscape was painted on a more softer canvas and looks more precise, if I can use this expression.

Oszkár Nagy - Nude sitting in the studio (1936) - oil on plywood

Different medium, different texture, but what this nice nude made me think of, was how models were viewed and treated back in those days, both by artists and society. Imagine yourself sitting for hours in cold studios, for very little money and risking to be labeled as prostitute, if someone recognized you. Most of the artists were poor, so paying decent money for models was almost out of the question. Society had some very strict and hypocritical rules, so models often got marginalized, while nobles were allowed to do whatever they pleased. We call this double standards today.

Arnold Borgo Prund - Head of a man with a snake (1936)

What is important here is the face expression of the man, but maybe more important than that is the hand. Look at how life like it is. I don't want to speculate about what the snake is doing and how the man is reacting to it, but the hand shows the force needed to react.

Antal Andor Fülöp - My sister, Margit (1939) - oil on canvas

A lovely portrait from an era with a very different dress code, but what stands out to me even more is the proportions. Maybe it's just me, but it seems like the head is smaller than it should be, compared to the body. I'm wondering if it is really the case, or my eyes are tricking me. Regardless, I like the portrait. Radiates happiness and the contrast between the skin, hair, background and dress helps drive the eyes towards the radiating face.

Pericle Capidan - The little Macedonian - oil on canvas

This is work that demands attention. There's no date, but based on the topic and style, I place it at the beginning of the 20th century, or the end of the 19th century. Back in those days, the frame was just as important as the painting (not that it isn't now, but in a different way) and the more ornate it was, the better. You would see such paintings in similarly designed living rooms or studies. Now they all end up in museums.

Max Herman Maxy - Landscape of the Jiu Valley (1945) - oil on canvas

This exhibition was very different from what I am usually posting about as most, if not all the artist belong to a different era and are not with us anymore. The style is very different and most likely remains sealed in that era.

Let me know what you think.

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