szigeti németh györgy

Dream Book

Alice Pike Barney (American, 1857-1931) – Dream Book, c.1900. – – When her daughter Natalie wrote a chapbook of French poetry, Quelques Portraits-Sonnets de Femmes, Barney was pleased to provide illustrations. She did not understand the implications of the book’s love poems addressed to women and had no idea that three of the four women who modeled for her were her daughter’s lovers. Her husband Albert, alerted to the book’s theme by a newspaper review headlined “Sappho Sings in Washington”, rushed to Paris, where he bought and destroyed the publisher’s remaining stock and printing plates. – NégyArt (Szingy Books)

Mihály Munkácsy – Piano Lesson

Mihály Munkácsy (Hungarian, 1844-1900) – Piano Lesson, 1890s. (Oil on panel. Mihály Munkácsy Museum) – – Just like the Impressionists, Munkácsy paid much attention to the surface and texture of his paintings, building up his motifs from lively, loose brushstrokes. A close look at the details reveals dashes of unexpected colours, as if the artist had taken greatest enjoyment in creating these abstract forms without any agenda. – NégyArt (Szingy Books)

A Girl in Japanese Gown. The Kimono

William Merritt Chase (American, 1849-1916) – A Girl in Japanese Gown. The Kimono, c.1887 (Oil on canvas. Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza) – – William Merritt Chase shared the vogue for “japonisme” in European art and from the 1880s onwards began to include references to that culture in his own work. When devising his compositions Chase repeatedly made use of objects such as the screen, kimono and magazine stand that can be seen here. – NégyArt (Szingy Books)

Portrait of Wilhelmine with Braids, 1922

Lovis Corinth (German, 1858-1925) – Portrait of Wilhelmine with Braids, 1922 (Oil on canvas. Worcester Art Museum) – – Corinth’s mature work as a painter and printmaker realized a synthesis of impressionism and expressionism. A fine example is this portrait of his daughter. – NégyArt (Szingy Books)

John White Alexander – Study in Black and Green

John White Alexander (American, 1856-1915) – Study in Black and Green, c.1906 (Oil on canvas. Met.) – – The idealized, impassive woman, shown as if she were a precious object, was a favorite turn-of-the-century subject and one particularly suited to Alexander’s temperament. Here, a young beauty is absorbed in nothing more consequential than pinning a bauble or blossom to the low neckline of her elegant evening gown. The skirt’s sinuous striped pattern, the curves at the knees and shoulders, and the contour of the upswept hair justify the description of Alexander as “the painter of the flowing line.” His dazzling brushwork is especially notable in the rendering of the rich fabrics and in the otherwise plain background. – NégyArt (Szingy Books)

Girl in Black Dress

Oscar Rabin (Russian, 1928-2018) – Girl in Black Dress, c.1981 (Oil on canvas) – – Oscar Rabin was one of the originators of the nonconformism era and a key organizer of what is now referred to as the ‘Lianozovo Group’, a collective which grew around Yevgeniy Kropivnitskiy. Over a period of seven years (1958-1965), the former camp barracks in Lianozovo, where Oskar Rabin lived with his wife, Valentina Kropivnitskaya, acted as the center of the progressive intelligentsia. Soviet material life and its dramatic absurdity was for many years the central theme of Rabin’s creativity. The artist continued in the tradition of 1920s European expressionism. Rabin uses a distortion of perspective, the principles of deformation and the destruction of large-scale relationships. – NégyArt (Szingy Gallery)

Echo and Narcissus

John William Waterhouse (English, 1849-1917) – Echo and Narcissus, 1903 (Oil on canvas. Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool) – – In this perfectly balanced painting, the nymph Echo, perched on a rock, tense with frustrated desire, gazes hopelessly at the languorous, lithe body of Narcissus as he gazes at his reflection in a pool, captivated by its beauty. The story, based on a Greek myth, is from the Roman poet Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Echo – who must repeat what’s said to her – is just one of many admirers – male as well as female – Narcissus has rejected. Taking pity on her, the goddess Nemesis decides to punish Narcissus for refusing love by making him fall in love with his own reflection. Here Echo is so close to Narcissus she can almost reach him, but the water separates her from him forever. And Narcissus himself can never be united with the object of his desire. – NégyArt (Szingy Books)

Birth of Venus

Sandro Botticelli (Italian, 1445-1510) – Birth of Venus, 1485 (Tempera on canvas. The Uffizi) – The composition shows the goddess of love and beauty arriving on land, on the island of Cyprus, born of the sea spray and blown there by the winds, Zephyr and, perhaps, Aura. She is met by a young woman, who is sometimes identified as one of the Graces or as the Hora of spring, and who holds out a cloak covered in flowers. Even the roses, blown in by the wind are a reminder of spring. The subject of the painting, which celebrates Venus as symbol of love and beauty, was perhaps suggested by the poet Agnolo Poliziano. Botticelli takes his inspiration from classical statues for Venus’ modest pose, as she covers her nakedness with long, blond hair, which has reflections of light from the fact that it has been gilded; even the Winds, the pair flying in one another’s embrace, is based on an ancient work, a gem from the Hellenistic period, owned by Lorenzo the Magnificent. – NégyArt (Szingy Books)

John William Waterhouse – Boreas

John William Waterhouse (English, 1849-1917) – Boreas, 1903 (Oil on canvas) – – Boreas is the name given by Ovidius to the cold northern wind. He can be seen in this painting only by the trees and clothes bending by his force. The woman that he is trying to catch is the Athenian princess, Oreithyia, who first declined his courtship, but cannot resist his brute power. She became later the goddess of mountain winds. This painting is even more powerful than the earlier “Windflowers” due to the use of cold colours and the protective position of the arms of the woman. – NégyArt (Szingy Books)

Ambrose McEvoy – Mrs Claude Johnson

Ambrose McEvoy (English, 1877-1927) – Mrs Claude Johnson c.1926 (Oil paint on canvas. Tate) – – Mrs Johnson is depicted in a winter coat and a blue broad-brimmed hat, seated in an interior in front of a large, bright window. The sitter’s clothes and the pink blossom on the trees outside indicate that it is spring. McEvoy divided the canvas vertically into uneven thirds using the length of the window frames. This makes the painting appear narrower and encourages the viewer to focus on the sitter’s face in the centre of the canvas. McEvoy meticulously built up layers of coloured glazes with broad brushstrokes on a neutral, cream-coloured ground or primer. Although warmer hues dominate this composition, the slight cracking of the paint on the surface of Mrs Johnson’s coat reveals colder blue tones underneath. – NégyArt (Szingy Books)