Gyula Benczúr (28 January 1844,

Nyíregyháza Nyíregyháza (, sk, Níreďháza) is a city with county rights in northeastern Hungary and the county capital of Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg. With a population of 118,001, it is the seventh-largest city in Hungary and the second largest in t ...

– 16 July 1920, Szécsény) was a Hungarian painter and art teacher. He specialized in portraits and historical scenes.

Biography

His family moved to Kassa when he was still very young and he displayed an early talent for drawing. He began his studies in 1861 with Hermann Anschutz and Johann Georg Hiltensperger (1806–1890). From 1865 to 1869, he studied with

Karl von Piloty Karl Theodor von Piloty (1 October 1826 – 21 July 1886) was a German painter, noted for his historical subjects, and recognised as the foremost representative of the realistic school in Germany. Life and work Piloty was born in Munich. His fa ...

. He achieved international success in 1870 when he won the Hungarian national competition for historical painting with his depiction of King Stephen's baptism. He then assisted Piloty with the

fresco Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...

es at the

Maximilianeum The Maximilianeum, a palatial building in Munich, was built as the home of a gifted students' foundation but since 1949 has housed the Bavarian State Parliament. It sits grandly and as a focal point on the bank of the Isar River above Maximilian ...

and the Rathaus in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

and illustrated books by the great German writer,

Friedrich Schiller Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (, short: ; 10 November 17599 May 1805) was a German playwright, poet, and philosopher. During the last seventeen years of his life (1788–1805), Schiller developed a productive, if complicated, friends ...

. King

Ludwig II Ludwig II (Ludwig Otto Friedrich Wilhelm; 25 August 1845 – 13 June 1886) was King of Bavaria from 1864 until his death in 1886. He is sometimes called the Swan King or ('the Fairy Tale King'). He also held the titles of Count Palatine of the ...

of Bavaria gave him several commissions. He was named a Professor at the

Academy of Fine Arts, Munich The Academy of Fine Arts, Munich (german: Akademie der Bildenden Künste München, also known as Munich Academy) is one of the oldest and most significant art academies in Germany. It is located in the Maxvorstadt district of Munich, in Bavaria, ...

, in 1875. Soon after, he built a home in Ambach on

Lake Starnberg Lake Starnberg, or ''Starnberger See'' ) — called Lake Würm, or ''Würmsee'' , until 1962 — is Germany's second-largest body of fresh water, having great depth, and fifth-largest lake by area. It and its surroundings lie in three different Ba ...

; designed by his brother Béla. In 1883, he returned to Hungary, where he continued to be an art teacher. One of his most distinguished pupils was the Swiss-born American painter

Adolfo Müller-Ury Adolfo Müller-Ury, KSG (March 29, 1862 – July 6, 1947) was a Swiss-born American portrait painter and impressionistic painter of roses and still life. Heritage and early life in Switzerland He was born Felice Adolfo Müller on 29 March ...

. Benczúr was later a favorite among the Hungarian upper-class, painting numerous portraits of kings and aristocrats. He also created some religious works; notably altarpieces for

St. Stephen's Basilica St. Stephen's Basilica ( hu, Szent István-bazilika ) is a Roman Catholic basilica in Budapest, Hungary. It is named in honour of Stephen, the first King of Hungary (c 975–1038), whose right hand is housed in the reliquary. It was the sixth l ...

and

Buda Castle Buda Castle ( hu, Budavári Palota, german: link=no, Burgpalast) is the historical castle and palace complex of the Hungarian Kings in Budapest. It was first completed in 1265, although the massive Baroque palace today occupying most of the si ...

. He was an honorary member of the

Hungarian Academy of Sciences The Hungarian Academy of Sciences ( hu, Magyar Tudományos Akadémia, MTA) is the most important and prestigious learned society of Hungary. Its seat is at the bank of the Danube in Budapest, between Széchenyi rakpart and Akadémia utca. Its ma ...

. Streets have been named after him in Balassagyarmat, Balatonkenese,

Berettyóújfalu Berettyóújfalu is a town in Hajdú-Bihar county, in center of the Northern Great Plain region of eastern Hungary. It is 40 km south from Debrecen (the second largest city in Hungary), and about 35 km from Oradea (Romania). Berettyó� ...

Bonyhád Bonyhád (german: Bonnhard) is a town in Tolna County in Southwestern Hungary. Government It is governed by a city council and a mayor. The current mayor of Bonyhád is Filóné Ferencz Ibolya who has served in this capacity since 2014. Populati ...

, Budapest,

Debrecen Debrecen ( , is Hungary's second-largest city, after Budapest, the regional centre of the Northern Great Plain region and the seat of Hajdú-Bihar County. A city with county rights, it was the largest Hungarian city in the 18th century and i ...

Jászberény Jászberény is a city and market centre in Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok county in Hungary. Location Jászberény is located in central Hungary, on the Zagyva River, a tributary of the Tisza River. It is about from Budapest. History The oldest ...

Komló Komló (, german: Kumlau, hr, Komlov) is a town in Baranya county, Hungary. The name of the settlement is derived from the local crop of hops (komló), an ingredient of beer. By the 18th century a depiction of this plant running up a support alre ...

Pécs Pécs ( , ; hr, Pečuh; german: Fünfkirchen, ; also known by other #Name, alternative names) is List of cities and towns of Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, the fifth largest city in Hungary, on the slopes of the Mecsek mountains in the countr ...

Szabadszállás Szabadszállás is a small town in Bács-Kiskun county, Hungary, 80 kilometres south of Budapest by rail. The town is surrounded by several areas of the Kiskunság National Park Kiskunság National Park ( hu, Kiskunsági Nemzeti Park) is a nati ...

Szeged Szeged ( , ; see also #Etymology, other alternative names) is List of cities and towns of Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the county seat ...

and Košice. His daughters Olga (1875–1962) and Ida (1876–1970) also became well-known artists.

Selected paintings

File:Benczur-narcissus.jpg, Narcissus File:Benczur-hunyadi laszlo bucsuja.jpg,

Ladislaus Hunyadi László Hunyadi or Ladislaus Hunyadi ( Slovak: ''Ladislav Huňady''; 1431Bánhegyi 2008, p. 17. – 16 March 1457) was a Hungarian nobleman. Ladislaus Hunyadi was the elder of the two sons of John Hunyadi, voivode of Transylvania and later rege ...

's Farewell File:Benczúr Olvasó nő.jpg, Reading in the Woods File:Benczur-vajk.jpg, The Baptism of Stephen I File:Benczur-kleopatra.jpg,

Cleopatra Cleopatra VII Philopator ( grc-gre, Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ}, "Cleopatra the father-beloved"; 69 BC10 August 30 BC) was Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC, and its last active ruler.She was also a ...

File:Benczúr Gyula – A diadalmas Mátyás.jpg, alt=Matthias Corvinus, Hungary, King, The triumphant

Matthias Matthias is a name derived from the Greek Ματθαίος, in origin similar to Matthew. People Notable people named Matthias include the following: In religion: * Saint Matthias, chosen as an apostle in Acts 1:21–26 to replace Judas Iscariot * ...

(1919, Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest) File:Benczúr Gyula Mátyás király fogadja a pápai követeket.jpg, alt=Matthias Corvinus, Hungary, King, King Matthias receives the Papal Legates (1915)

Sources

*''Gyula Benczúr, Exposition Memoriale''. Budapest:

Hungarian National Museum The Hungarian National Museum ( hu, Magyar Nemzeti Múzeum) was founded in 1802 and is the national museum for the history, art, and archaeology of Hungary, including areas not within Hungary's modern borders, such as Transylvania; it is not to ...

, 1958 * Gábor Ö. Pogány,. ''Nineteenth Century Hungarian Painting'', (1958) Reprint, Budapest: Corvina Press, 1972 *Katalin Telepy, ''Benczúr''. Nyíregyháza, Hungary: Jósa András Múzeum, 1963 *Antal Kampis, ''The History of Art in Hungary''. Budapest: Corvina Press, 1966

External links

Works and biography of Gyula Benczúr @ Fine arts in HungaryWorks of Gyula Benczúr held in Slovak art collections
1844 births 1920 deaths Academic art Members of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences Academic staff of the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich Hungarian illustrators 19th-century Hungarian painters 19th-century Hungarian male artists 20th-century Hungarian painters 20th-century Hungarian male artists Hungarian male painters {{Hungary-painter-stub