Where to See Berény Róbert

Museums and galleries around the world exhibit works by artists. These include: the Art Gallery of New South Wales (Sydney, Australia); Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique (Brussels); Kunsthistorisches Museum (Vienna); Österreichische Galerie (Vienna); Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten (Antwerp); Memlingmuseum Het Sint-Janshospitaal (Bruges); Art Gallery of Ontario (Toronto); Narodni Galerie (Prague); Skagens Museum (Skagen, Denmark); Musée National Fernand Léger (Biot, France); Musée Condé (Chantilly, France); Musée d’Unterlinden (Colmar, France); Chateau de Fontainebleau (Fontainebleau, France); Musée Fabre (Montpellier, France); Musée des Beaux-Arts (Nantes, France); 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, France); Rijksmuseum Kréller-Miller (Otterlo, Netherlands); Museum Boymans-van Beuningen (Rotterdam, Netherlands); Nasjonalgalleriet (Oslo, Norway); Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga (Lisbon, Portugal); Muzeul de Arta (Craiova, Romania); Tretyakov Gallery and Hermitage Museum (Russia); Museo de Bellas Artes, Fundacién Coleccion Thyssen-Bornemisza, and Museo Nacional del Prado (Madrid, Spain); Offentliche Kunstsammlung Kunstmuseum Basel and Musée d’Art et d’Histoire (Switzerland); Towneley Hall Art Gallery (Burnley, UK); The Fitzwilliam Museum (Cambridge, UK); National Museum of Wales (Cardiff, UK); National Gallery of Scotland and Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art (Edinburgh, UK); The Burrell Collection (Glasgow, UK); Jersey Museum and Art Gallery (St Helier, UK); and Leeds City Art Gallery (Leeds, UK).

When considering prints, it is important to understand the terminology. An "original print" is one conceived as a print, executed solely as a print, and usually part of a numbered, signed edition. Each impression in the edition is an original, produced 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. A reproduction is a copy of a work originally created in another medium, such as painting. It is usually made by photomechanical means. Numbering or signing a reproduction does not change its essence: it remains a copy, not an original print. There is no legal definition of an "original print" in Canada. However, the Professional Art Dealers Association of Canada (PADAC) has its own definition, accepted by major arts organisations in the country.

It is difficult to say why Berény Róbert's works are important today. Some observers believe that the value of modern art is connected less to artistic achievement and more to social conflict. They argue that the art world has become an international society, where innovation and scandal are more important than draughtsmanship, colour, or form. Others might say that geographical distance has replaced validation by time, and globalization has changed the art world. This viewpoint suggests that no country can claim greater artistic importance than any other, and it is all a matter of individual talent. However, some maintain that a hierarchy of countries still exists. When analysing the hangings of permanent collections in major international institutions, a high proportion of national artists is evident, with American, German, British, French and Italian artists predominating.

Without specific information about Berény Róbert's methods, one can discuss general painting techniques. Oil paint consists of pigment mixed with a drying oil, such as linseed. The oil acts as a binder. Various methods exist for preparing the support, typically canvas or wood. Priming creates a suitable surface. This may involve applying a ground layer of gesso, composed of gypsum and animal glue, or chalk and animal skin glue. The artist may then sketch the composition onto the prepared surface with paint or charcoal. Application techniques vary. Some artists apply thin washes of colour, while others use thick impasto. Glazes, thin transparent layers of paint, can modulate colour effects. The artist may use brushes, painting knives, or even fingers. Some artists build up colour through many layers; others prefer a direct, single-layer approach. Experimentation with materials and methods has always been common. In the eighteenth century, for example, "eludoric painting" involved painting in oil under water.

It is difficult to say precisely who Berény Róbert influenced. However, considering the artistic environment of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, some context can be provided. The "Munich Realism" movement, with its emphasis on colour and light, gained traction. This movement looked to earlier Dutch masters such as Hals and Rembrandt. These artists offered a fresh direction through their techniques. The Polish artist Stanisław Lentz, educated in Munich and Paris, was called the "Polish Hals" by critics. Lentz studied Old Masters during travels to Holland between 1905^[1] and 1914. He adopted an energetic brushstroke and a monochromatic palette from them. Hals's influence is apparent in Lentz's paint application, colour choices, accessories, gestures, and poses in his portraits and genre scenes.

Many artists influenced Mark Rothko. Rothko met Milton Avery around 1928^[1]; Avery's studio was open to younger artists, and Rothko visited almost daily. Avery's accessibility and willingness to engage in dialogue provided a refreshing change from student-teacher relationships. Rothko delivered a moving eulogy upon Avery's death in 1965, indicating Avery's importance. Rothko painted figures in interiors, domestic and seaside scenes, in a manner reminiscent of Avery. Avery's precisely delineated, Matisse-derived flattened form and soft colour became integral parts of Rothko's style. Other artists, such as Pollock, de Kooning and Rothko, became mentors. Gorky's work was very important; seeing *Agony* and *The Liver Is the Cock's Comb* in Gorky's 1951 exhibition impressed Rothko enormously. Pollock's painting made Rothko want to investigate and understand his work and his methods. He wondered how the Old Masters, Cubists, Manet, Monet, Miro, Gorky or Pollock made their paintings; he wanted to understand them, and take it from there.

Berény Róbert is best known for his painting *Sleeping Lady with Black Vase*. The work gained considerable attention when it was rediscovered and sold at auction for a high price in 2005. Berény, born in Budapest in 1887^[1], was a significant figure in the Hungarian^[1] avant-garde movement. He was a founding member of the Group of Eight, a collective of artists who introduced cubist and expressionist styles to Hungary. His artistic output included portraits, nudes, and abstract compositions. He also designed posters and stage sets. *Sleeping Lady with Black Vase* is considered one of his most important works, representing a fusion of modern styles with a distinctive Hungarian sensibility. Berény's other notable works include *Self-Portrait* (1913^[1]) and *Portrait of Lajos Kassák* (1927). He taught at the Academy of Fine Arts in Budapest from 1945 until his death in 1953^[1].

Berény Róbert (1887^[1]-1953^[1]) was associated with several early twentieth-century avant-garde movements. These included Fauvism, Expressionism^[1], and Cubism. These movements arose in the early 1900s, following on from the work of Post-Impressionist artists such as Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin. Fauvism, which emerged around 1905^[1] in France, was characterised by its bold use of colour and simplified design. The Fauves, or 'wild beasts' as they were labelled by a critic, used unrealistic colours and broad brushstrokes to create a decorative and expressive effect. Henri Matisse led this group. Expressionism, which developed in Germany, also used colour emphatically, but aimed to convey inner emotions and subjective experiences. Die Brücke (The Bridge), a prominent Expressionist group active from 1905 to 1913, explored themes of alienation and social fragmentation through emotion-charged images and simplified forms. Cubism, originating around 1907, involved the interplay of abstract forms and recognisable images.