Szőnyi, István (1894-1960)

He was first a pupil of Károly Ferenczy, then that of István Réti after the war. His early works show that he was in search of the unity of dramatic expressiveness and atmospheric plein air. His works were of great influence on his contemporaries. In the late 1920s, he settled down in Zebegény where his interest was attracted to atmospheric problems. Based on the Nagybánya tradition, he created a style of his own with sunny colours, soft tones and passive meditative lyra. His style was a typical product of the post-Nagybánya school between the two world wars. Due to his humanity, his works can be characterized by unique harmony. Working in Zebegény, he painted pictures of people of the village and those of the Danube-bend. "An Evening in Zebegény" (1928), "Funeral in Zebegény" (1928), "My Mother" (1930), "Calf on Sale" (1933), "Evening" (1934), "In the Yard" (1935), "Grey Danube" (1935), "Umbrellas" (1939) and "On the Way Home" (1938) were products of tempera technique. In the 1940s, he had orders from various churches to paint frescoes (e.g. the Új-Nodorváros Church in Győr). He painted "Garden Bench" in 1943 and "By the Well" in 1945, both tempera pictures. "Potato Pickers" (1950), and "Mill Yard" (1952) belong to his series of plein air style. His last major task was the secco fresco for the post office in Csepel, Budapest. From 1938 until his death, he was a teacher of the Art School.