Egry József

Key facts

Lived

1883–1951, Hungarian^[1]

Movement

• Európai Iskola

^[1]

Works held in

1 museum

Wikipedia

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• What is Egry József known for?+

  József Egry is known for his paintings of Lake Balaton. He devoted himself to capturing the lake's unique light, the shimmer off the water, the haze, and the dissolving colour toward midday.
• What is Egry József's most famous work?+

  It is difficult to name one single work as Egry József's most famous. He is best known for his paintings of Lake Balaton in Hungary, where he lived and worked for much of his life. Egry's style is characterised by its focus on light and atmosphere. He sought to capture the unique qualities of the Balaton region, often painting the lake at different times of day and in varying weather conditions. His works often feature a limited colour palette, with an emphasis on subtle tonal variations. While he painted other subjects, such as portraits and religious scenes, it is his Balaton paintings that have secured his place in Hungarian^[1] art history. These paintings are appreciated for their poetic and evocative qualities, and for their ability to capture the spirit of the Balaton region.
• What should I know about Egry József's prints?+

  When considering Egry József's prints, it is useful to know some basic print terminology. An "original print" is made by hand by the artist, using techniques such as woodcut, engraving, linocut, etching, or lithograph. The image is created specifically to be a print, with the artist working directly on the plate, block or screen. Each print is considered an original, and these are often sold through specialist galleries. A "reproduction" is a copy of a work originally created in another medium, such as a painting or watercolour. These are usually produced using photochemical means. Numbering or signing a reproduction does not make it an original print. Other types of prints include giclée prints, which are inkjet fine art prints, and canvas transfers, where the image is transferred onto canvas to resemble a painting. The Professional Art Dealers Association of Canada defines an original print as an image conceived by the artist as a print, executed solely as a print, usually in a numbered edition, and signed by the artist. Each print is made from a matrix created for that purpose, with each being individually inked and pulled.
• What techniques or materials did Egry József use?+

  Information regarding Egry József's specific artistic techniques is limited in the provided texts. However, the passages offer a broader view of painting techniques and materials used by artists during similar periods. One passage discusses painting on photographic substrates, a practice that gained popularity from the late 19th century. This involved applying oils, watercolours, or pastels over photographic images on materials like linen or paperboard. The photographic image served as a base for the painting. Another passage details various historical painting methods, including encaustic (hot wax) painting, and eludoric painting (using water as a medium for oil). These methods were explored as alternatives to traditional oil painting, with the aim of achieving greater permanence and colour stability. One passage describes a "new type of glass picture" using sandblasting techniques on flashed glass (milk glass covered with a thin coloured layer). This involved cutting designs into a stencil, then using sandblasting to grind a relief into the glass. Glass painters' colours could also be applied and kiln-fired.
• What was Egry József known for?+

  Egry József (1883^[1]-1951^[1]) was a Hungarian^[1] painter who worked primarily with watercolour and oil. He is best known for his depictions of Lake Balaton, a large freshwater lake in western Hungary. Egry studied law at first, then attended art school under Károly Ferenczy. Early in his career, he painted in a naturalistic style. He served on the Italian front during the First World War. The experience influenced his artistic style, which became more simplified and expressive. After the war, Egry settled in Badacsony, a town on the northern shore of Lake Balaton. The location became a central theme in his art. He painted the lake under varying light conditions and in different seasons. His paintings often feature a limited colour palette, emphasising the atmosphere and mood of the scene. He explored themes of solitude and the relationship between humans and nature. Egry's work moved toward a spiritual dimension. His later paintings are characterised by an increasing simplification of form and a focus on light. He received the Kossuth Prize in 1948^[1].
• When did Egry József live and work?+

  József Egry was born in Zala County, Hungary, in 1883^[1]. He died in 1951^[1]. He is known for his paintings of Lake Balaton. Egry began his artistic studies with Tivadar Zemplényi, and Károly Ferenczy, in Budapest. He continued his studies in Paris at the Académie Julian. During the First World War, he served as a war artist. From 1918^[1], Egry lived in Badacsony, on the northern shore of Lake Balaton. The area's atmosphere and light became central to his art. He mainly painted the lake, the local people, and the surrounding hills. His style moved toward a personal form of expressionism, capturing the moods of nature. Egry's works often feature simplified forms and a muted colour palette, reflecting a sense of melancholy and contemplation. He is considered one of Hungary's most important modern painters.
• Who influenced Egry József?+

  The Louvre museum in Paris provided a second education for many artists. By studying the masters, artists could develop skills to use in their own painting. The eighteenth-century Venetian masters, as well as Peter Paul Rubens, provided lessons in the beauty of pure colour. Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres was influenced by Raphael and German artists. While in Italy, Ingres kept a studio next door to the Casa Bartholdy, which was decorated with frescoes by German Nazarenes. He also knew the wall paintings in the Casino Massimo al Laterano, created between 1820 and 1829 by German painters Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, Friedrich Overbeck, Joseph von Fuhrich, Joseph Anton Koch, and Peter Cornelius. Many of Ingres’ paintings reflect these encounters, such as *Paolo and Francesca* (1819). Ingres had many students, some of whom adored him, and all of whom respected him. He enjoyed his role as teacher and asked his best students to collaborate on his paintings, following the example of his master, David.
• Who was Egry József?+

  Information on József Egry is not available in the provided passages. However, the passages do contain information on other artists of the period. Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, born in Hungary in 1895^[1], was a painter, designer and professor at the Bauhaus. He experimented with transparent plastics in the early 1920s, attempting to render lighted pigment. He temporarily stopped these experiments around 1925, but later worked with opaque plastics like Trolitan, after the patent on Bakelite expired. After moving to London in 1935, Moholy-Nagy began experimenting with transparent plastics again, creating "light modulators". He aimed to create direct light effects, inspired by stained-glass windows. In 1922, Walter Gropius appointed Moholy-Nagy as a professor at the Weimar Bauhaus. He headed the metal workshop and collaborated on murals, ballet designs, and typography. He also co-edited the "Bauhaus Buecher" series with Gropius. Political pressures led to his resignation from the Bauhaus, after which he moved to Berlin and worked as a stage designer and typographer. He experimented with film and constructed his "Lichtrequisit", a light display machine. He later moved to Amsterdam and then London, before eventually settling in Chicago.
• Why are Egry József's works important today?+

  It is difficult to say why Egry József's works are important today without further information. Some believe modern art owes its fame to social conflict, rather than artistic merit. They suggest innovation enthusiasts have trampled on criteria for assessing artistic value, ascribing extraneous goals to art. The more that is written on the autonomy of art, the less interest there is in the actual work. Others argue that Expressionism can still provoke debate and is worth pondering until better solutions are found. Abstract methods of thought are unlikely to provide these solutions, and the heritage of Expressionism has not yet ceased to exist because we have not yet even started to consider it. Some have suffered the fate of being considered reactionary, backward, outmoded, and rearguard. However, time has avenged them. We must take care not to judge artists in terms of progress and keep our distance, so that we are not seduced by the ephemeral and the clamorous.
• What was Egry József's art style?+

  Egry József developed a mixed oil-pastel method. This allowed him to capture light with a speed and directness that conventional oil painting resisted; critics at the time described his achievement as a new interpretation of naturalism.
• When was Egry József born?+

  Egry József was born in 1883^[1]. Egry József died in 1951^[1], aged 68.
• How did Egry József die?+

  Egry József died in 1951^[1] at the age of 68.