Canvas and Cult. The Art of Pál Szinyei Merse (1845–1920). Catalog of the exhibition in the Hungarian National Gallery

The life’s work of Pál Szinyei Merse, an outstanding master of nineteenth-century Hungarian painting and one of the most influential figures in Hungarian art, is the subject of the latest exhibition at the Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest. The exhibition of around 120 works examines the connections between the paintings in Szinyei Merse’s œuvre and the cult surrounding the artist. As the evolution of his art and the history of his cult unfold side by side, visitors are offered a new perspective on the artist’s prominent position in cultural history. The exhibition presents Szinyei Merse’s key works in their Hungarian context and in relation to thematic and painterly parallels from the international (primarily German, Austrian and French) art scene of his times. More than twenty paintings by international artists have been kindly loaned to the show by distinguished public and private collections, including masterpieces by Monet, Sisley, Corot, Courbet and Gainsborough. Cover Contents Pál Szinyei Merse – Past and present Pál Szinyei Merse. Year by year “This was not naturalism, it was not impressionism”. Pál Szinyei Merse and the question of styles Ab invisis. Unseen, unseeable and yet... Pál Szinyei Merse and France New contributions to the Szinyei Merse research From a company of friends to a network of contacts. The history of the Pál Szinyei Merse Society, 1920-1951 “The Szinyei Epic”. Cult and remembrance in museums and beyond Catalogue Szinyei Merse and portraiture At the Academy in Munich Arcadian impressions At Lake Starnberg: Courbet and Szinyei Merse In harmony with nature Picnic in May Tourbillon – Dancing nature “Like a good Manet”: Lady in violet In the current of Impressionism The pure source: Back to nature Spring and autumn – Hunting season Snowmelt: An example of the impressionist eye Szinyei Merse and Ferenczy – Connections with Nagybánya Szinyei Merse rediscovered The constant motif – The stream Szinyei Merse’s artist children The beginnings of the Szinyei Merse cult Cult and memory Appendix to the chronology, compile by Anna Szinyei Merse List of exhibited works, List of illustrations, Bibliography