Endre Balint

Key facts

Lived

1914–1986, Hungarian^[1]

Movement

• Európai Iskola

^[1]

Works held in

1 museum

Wikipedia

View article

Plan your visit to see Endre Balint →

• What is Endre Balint known for?+

  Endre Bálint is known for his paintings that combine childhood recollections with nightmarish internal scenes. He is also known for working across media such as collage, linoleum engraving, plaster engraving, montage, and stage design; he also created over a thousand illustrations for a Jerusalem Bible.
• What is Endre Balint's most famous work?+

  Hans Baldung Grien, a German artist of the Northern Renaissance, trained in Albrecht Dürer's workshop. He later developed his own style, often subverting Dürer's approaches. Baldung came from a well-to-do family of lawyers and doctors, and this background played a role in his art. He was unique among German painters of the period in his preoccupation with the supernatural. This interest appears frequently in his work, notably in the chiaroscuro woodcut of the Witches, dating to 1510. It is possibly based on a 1506 drawing by Altdorfer. Another noted work is his 1509-1511^[1] painting, Three Ages of Woman, now in Vienna; it may have been part of a Dance of Death series or a Vanitas allegory. Baldung was active as a painter, designer of stained glass, and book illustrator. He died in Strasbourg in 1545.
• What should I know about Endre Balint's prints?+

  Endre Balint (1914^[1]-1986^[1]) was a Hungarian^[1] artist. When considering Balint's prints, it is useful to understand some basic principles of printmaking, and how the art market treats prints. An original print is conceived as a print, and executed solely as a print. Each one in the edition is an original, made from a plate, stone, screen, or block created for that purpose. The artist inks and pulls each print individually; it is a multi-original medium. The artist decides the number of prints in the edition. Numbering accounts for the prints in the edition; for example, 12/25 means it is print number 12 of an edition of 25. The artist usually signs each print. The context of a print is important. Prints can reach a larger audience than other art forms because they are produced in greater quantities at a comparatively low cost. The decision to limit an edition is the artist's choice rather than a technical limitation. Printmaking is an unregulated activity, but claims and product descriptions are subject to the Trade Descriptions Act 1968^[1] Section 2, which requires truthfulness when describing something.
• What techniques or materials did Endre Balint use?+

  Information on Endre Balint's techniques and materials is scarce in the provided texts. However, the passages offer some context on artistic techniques more generally. One passage defines technique as the manual and mechanical operations that act upon a raw material to organise, shape, and mould it according to artistic intentions. It notes that technique is more than just a method of execution. Another passage discusses the use of acrylic paints to promote flatness and colour contrast, and the process of transferring a design onto canvas using a grid. The artist would then trace the design with bold, black lines and add touches of colour. Another passage mentions an artist's use of oil pigments on transparent sheets, scratching fine lines into the plastic to hold the pigment, and painting on both sides of the sheets to create space. They also rubbed colour into the engraved lines to create vibrating colour effects. These examples show the range of techniques and materials available to artists.
• What was Endre Balint known for?+

  Endre Balint was a Hungarian^[1] painter associated with the neo-avant-garde art scene. He participated in unofficial artistic circles that provided an alternative to the state-controlled art of the Kádár era. Balint, along with Júlia Vajda and sculptor József Jakovits, owned a flat on Rottenbiller Street in Budapest. This flat became a hub for intellectual gatherings. These "culture apartments" played a role in circulating information, uniting opposition figures, and encouraging freedom of expression. Balint's work, and that of his peers, often tested the boundaries of what was acceptable to the authorities. The neo-avant-garde sought to create art independent of direct political involvement, sometimes subverting the socialist regime's promotion of overtly political art.
• When did Endre Balint live and work?+

  Endre Balint was a Hungarian^[1] artist who lived from 1914^[1] to 1986^[1]. He was born in Budapest on 7 November 1914^[1], and he died there on 3 May 1986. In his early years, Endre was interested in literature and published poetry. However, he later turned to visual art. Like many artists of his generation, his career was interrupted by military service during the Second World War. After the war, he became part of the European art world. He is known for his surrealist-influenced paintings and graphic works. Balint's art often explored themes related to personal identity, memory, and the urban experience. He exhibited widely and received recognition for his contributions to Hungarian art.
• Where can I see Endre Balint's work?+

  It is difficult to pinpoint exactly where Endre Balint's work may be seen. However, many museums and galleries have extensive collections that may include his pieces. Some of these are the Art Gallery of New South Wales (Sydney NSW), Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique (Brussels), Kunsthistorisches Museum (Vienna), Art Gallery of Ontario (Toronto), Narodni Galerie (Prague), Musée National Fernand Léger (Biot), Musée Condé (Chantilly), Musée d’Unterlinden (Colmar), Chateau de Fontainebleau (Fontainebleau), Musée Fabre (Montpellier), Musée des Beaux-Arts (Nantes), Bibliotheque Nationale, Centre National des Arts Plastiques, Musée Bourdelle, Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, Musée de l’Orangerie, Musée d’Orsay, and Musée du Louvre (all in Paris). Other possibilities include the Rijksmuseum Kréller-Miller (Otterlo), Museum Boymans-van Beuningen (Rotterdam), Nasjonalgalleriet (Oslo), Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga (Lisbon), Muzeul de Arta (Craiova), Tretyakov Gallery (Moscow), Hermitage Museum (St Petersburg), Museo de Bellas Artes (Bilbao), Fundacién Coleccion Thyssen-Bornemisza, Museo Nacional del Prado (Madrid), Offentliche Kunstsammlung Kunstmuseum Basel, Musée d’Art et d’Histoire (Geneva), Towneley Hall Art Gallery (Burnley), The Fitzwilliam Museum (Cambridge), National Museum of Wales (Cardiff), National Gallery of Scotland, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art (Edinburgh), The Burrell Collection (Glasgow), Jersey Museum and Art Gallery (St Helier), and Leeds City Art Gallery.
• Where was Endre Balint from?+

  Endre Balint was Hungarian^[1]. Although specific details regarding his early life are scarce in the provided texts, it is clear that he was part of the Hungarian artistic community. His background connects him to a particular cultural and historical context. Balint's artistic journey reflects the influences of his origins. His work can be viewed as a product of his experiences and the artistic environment in which he developed. While the passages do not offer extensive biographical information, they establish his Hungarian identity. This is a fundamental aspect of understanding his place within the broader art world. Further research would be needed to explore the specific ways his background shaped his artistic vision and style.
• Who did Endre Balint influence?+

  Endre Balint was part of a generation of Hungarian^[1] neo-avant-garde artists whose activities helped to shape the "second public sphere" in Hungary, a zone of artistic freedom operating in parallel to the state-controlled cultural apparatus. Balint, along with figures such as Gábor Altorjay, Gábor Bachman, László Beke, and György Galántai, navigated the fluctuating boundaries of official acceptance and dismissal. These artists sought opportunities to act independently, challenging the limitations imposed by the socialist regime. Galántai's Balatonboglár chapel studio, for example, became a site where visitors and fellow artists drew inspiration, adapting the studio's production style to their own environments. Collective creation and inventiveness were encouraged. Balint's work, as well as that of György Jovánovics, László Rajk, and Tamás Szentjóby, contributed to an artistic milieu that tested the boundaries of party tolerance, influencing subsequent generations of Hungarian artists.
• Who influenced Endre Balint?+

  Endre Balint was a Hungarian^[1] artist. Several artists appear to have influenced his artistic development. Initially, Balint was drawn to Rembrandt, especially his drawings. He found that Rembrandt's works seemed to be carried only by emotional force. They radiated psychological depth and introverted suffering. Balint found in Rembrandt a foreshadowing of a technique demonstrating psychoanalysis. He felt an affinity with Rembrandt's nervous sketches. Balint was also attracted to Vincent van Gogh's drawings. He learned from the analytical nature of van Gogh's ink drawings and their texture. Line drawings ought not to be mixed with half tones; one should try to express three-dimensional plastic quality by the unadulterated means of line. Other painters who appeared "decipherable" to Balint included Edvard Munch, Lojos Tihanyi, Oscar Kokoschka, Egon Schiele, and Franz Marc. He was affected by the discovery that, for them, nature was only a point of departure. The real importance had been shifted to their interpretive power.
• Who was Endre Balint?+

  Unfortunately, the provided texts do not contain information about Endre Balint. However, they do discuss several other artists associated with Surrealism and avant-garde movements during the 20th century. These include figures such as Enrico Baj, known for his use of unconventional materials and opposition to threats to the modern world; Maurice Baskine, who explored magic symbolism in his art after abandoning a career as an accountant; Hans Bellmer, famous for his distorted doll sculptures; and Joan Miró, whose art sidestepped Cubist and abstract models to create a unique internal world. The texts also mention Pierre Molinier, noted for his provocative and erotic works, and Frantisek Muzika, associated with the Prague avant-garde group Devetsil. These artists each contributed distinct perspectives and techniques to the broader context of modern art.
• Why are Endre Balint's works important today?+

  Endre Balint's art provides insight into the complexities of artistic expression under state socialism. During the Kádár era in Hungary (1956^[1]-1988^[1]), the government maintained a dual approach to the arts: control and subsidy. Artists navigated a system of "three Ts" (tiltás, tűrés, támogatás): prohibition, toleration, and support. This system categorised artworks, influencing their public reception. Balint's work, like that of other neo-avant-garde artists, existed within a "second public sphere". This unofficial realm allowed for artistic experimentation outside the bounds of state-sanctioned art. Artists created alternative spaces, such as studios and apartments, for exhibitions and performances. These venues fostered intellectual exchange and artistic freedom, challenging the state's control over culture. The neo-avant-garde movement sought autonomy, rejecting direct political involvement while subtly subverting the socialist regime. Balint's art, and the art of his contemporaries, demonstrates the resilience and inventiveness of artists who sought to expand the boundaries of creative expression in a restrictive political environment.