Baron László Mednyánszky, also known by his Latinized name Ladislaus Josephus Balthasar Eustachius Mednyánszky (; 23 April 1852 – 17 April 1919), was a Slovak– Hungarian painter and philosopher, considered one of the most enigmatic figures in the history of Hungarian art. Despite an

aristocrat The aristocracy (''from Greek'' ''ἀριστοκρατία'' ''aristokratía'', "rule of the best"; ''Latin: aristocratia'') is historically associated with a "hereditary" or a "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the ...

ic background, he spent most of his life moving around Europe working as an artist. Mednyánszky spent considerable periods in seclusion but mingled with people across society – in the aristocracy, art world, peasantry and army – many of whom became the subjects of his paintings. His most important works depict scenes of nature and poor, working people, particularly from his home region in the

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coro ...

. He is also known as a painter of scenes from Upper Hungarian/Slovak folklore.

Biography

Mednyánszky was born in Beckó,

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...

(present-day Beckov,

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

), to Eduárd Mednyánszky and Mária Anna Mednyánszky (née Szirmay), both of whom came from landowning families. He came from a Hungarian noble family. Some say he was of Slovak origin; However, according to others, he was born into a Hungarian family with PolishGyula Duba
Mednyánszky
Irodalmi Szemle, 2004/10, Translations: "lengyel ősről és a „stiborida" rokonságról-Polish ancestry and 'Stiborida relations'; "Franciaföldről hozta a szép Richer Eleonórát-He (his grandfather) brought his wife from France" and Hungarian ancestry. One of his grandmothers, Eleonora Richer, was of French origin. His native language was Hungarian and it is not known whether he could speak Slovak. Mednyánszky's family moved in 1861 to the chateau of his grandfather, Baltazár Szirmay, at ('' Strážky''), near Szepesbéla ( Spišská Belá, now in northeastern Slovakia). This was to be the setting for many of his works. Mednyánszky met the Austrian artist Thomas Ender in 1863 when Ender visited the chateau. Ender took an interest in Mednyánszky's early efforts at drawing, lending his assistance to improve Mednyánszky's skills. Mednyánszky attended a grammar school in Késmárk (

Kežmarok Kežmarok ( or ; , , , ) is a town in the Spiš region of eastern Slovakia (population 16,000), on the Poprad River. Prior to World War I, it was in Szepes county in the Kingdom of Hungary. History Settlement at Kežmarok dates back to the Up ...

), near his home, then attended the

Akademie der Bildenden Künste The Academy of Fine Arts, Munich (, 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, Germany. In the second half of the 19th centur ...

(Academy of Fine Arts) in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

in 1872–1873. Dissatisfied in Munich, he moved to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

to attend the

École des Beaux-Arts ; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth centu ...

. After the death of his professor,

Isidore Pils Isidore-Alexandre-Augustin Pils (1815–1875) was a French academic painter of religious and military subjects. Biography Pils was born in Paris as the son of a soldier François Pils. At the age of twelve, he studied with Guillaume Guillon-Le ...

, in 1875, Mednyánszky left the École and began practicing independently from

Montmartre Montmartre ( , , ) is a large hill in Paris's northern 18th arrondissement of Paris, 18th arrondissement. It is high and gives its name to the surrounding district, part of the Rive Droite, Right Bank. Montmartre is primarily known for its a ...

. Mednyánszky returned to Nagyőr (Strážky) after 1877 to continue painting, and subsequently traveled widely across Europe, between his childhood homes in

Upper Hungary Upper Hungary (, "Upland"), is the area that was historically the northern part of the Kingdom of Hungary, now mostly present-day Slovakia. The region has also been called ''Felső-Magyarország'' ( literally: "Upper Hungary"; ). During the ...

and

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

, Paris and beyond. Mednyánszky visited the

Szolnok Szolnok (; also known by #Name and etymology, alternative names) is the county seat of Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok county in central Hungary. A city with county rights, it is located on the banks of the Tisza river, in the heart of the Great Hungarian ...

artists' colony in the autumn of 1877 and

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

in 1878. His mother died in 1883, after which he lived in seclusion in Nagyőr. He returned to Nagyőr in 1887 to help deal with an outbreak of

cholera Cholera () is an infection of the small intestine by some Strain (biology), strains of the Bacteria, bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea last ...

, but soon fell ill himself with

pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...

. He spent much of 1889–1892 in Paris and returned regularly to Nagyőr (''Strážky'') until 1900. His father, Eduard, died in 1895. Mednyánszky held his only solo exhibition at the Galerie Georges Petit in Paris in 1897. From the years 1905–1911 he lived in Budapest, then later moved to Vienna. When the First World War broke out in 1914, Mednyánszky was in Budapest again. He worked as a

war correspondent A war correspondent is a journalist who covers stories first-hand from a war, war zone. War correspondence stands as one of journalism's most important and impactful forms. War correspondents operate in the most conflict-ridden parts of the wor ...

on the Austro-Hungarian frontlines in Galicia, Serbia, and the southern Tirol. In the spring of 1918, he returned to Nagyőr (Strážky) to recover from war wounds. After spending some time working in Budapest, Mednyánszky died in poor health in the spring of 1919, in Vienna. He was homosexual, having had several relationships with men throughout his life. The longest and most important one, with Bálint Kurdi of

Vác Vác (; ; ; ) is a thousand-year old city in Pest county in Hungary with approximately 35,000 inhabitants. The archaic spelling of the name is ''Vácz''. Location Vác is located north of Budapest on the eastern bank of the Danube river, below t ...

, lasted for decades.

Political views

He tried to establish an association against the Pan-Slav agitators with the Hungarian politician Béla Grünwald. Grünwald banned Matica Slovenska. The articles of association of this organization were written by Mednyánszky.Csilla Markója
Verekedés után, Mednyánszky a Budapest – Pozsony – Bécs háromszögben

Európai utas Review
, 2004, pp. 22–23 Translations: "Mednyánszky nem csupán magyar családban magyar anyanyelvűként született, és nem is biztos, hogy tudott szlovákul- Mednyánszky was born into a Hungarian family with native Hungarian tongue and it is not even sure that he could speak in Slovak"; "(Grünwald)... betiltotta az 1863-ban alakult Matica Slovenskát-Grünwald banned Matica Slovenska, which was established in 1863"; "A pánszláv mozgalmak ellen életre hívott egylet alapító okiratának Mednyánszky tollából származó tervezete-The association was created against the Pan-Slav movement and the articles of association of this organization were written by Mednyánszky"; ".. pár ezer tagja lett- had a few thousands members" This association had a few thousand members.

Works

Mednyánszky's works were largely in the

Impressionist Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by visible brush strokes, open Composition (visual arts), composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

tradition, with influences from

Symbolism Symbolism or symbolist may refer to: *Symbol, any object or sign that represents an idea Arts *Artistic symbol, an element of a literary, visual, or other work of art that represents an idea ** Color symbolism, the use of colors within various c ...

and

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

. His works depict landscape scenes of nature, the weather and everyday, poor people such as peasants and workmen. The region of his birth, the northeastern part of the

, part of

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

, was the site and subject of many of his paintings; scenes from the

Carpathian Mountains The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians () are a range of mountains forming an arc across Central Europe and Southeast Europe. Roughly long, it is the third-longest European mountain range after the Ural Mountains, Urals at and the Scandinav ...

and the Hungarian Plains are numerous. He also painted portraits of his friends and family, and images of soldiers during the First World War whilst working as a war correspondent. His works are currently displayed in the

Slovak National Gallery The Slovak National Gallery (, abbreviated SNG) is a network of galleries in Slovakia. It has its headquarters in Bratislava. The gallery was established by law on 29 July 1949. In Bratislava, it has its displays situated in Esterházy Palace (' ...

Bratislava Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...

and Strážky chateau, which was donated to SNG by his niece Margit Czóbel in 1972. Many of his works are displayed in the

Hungarian National Gallery The Hungarian National Gallery (also known as Magyar Nemzeti Galéria, ), was established in 1957 as the national art museum. It is located in Buda Castle in Budapest, Hungary. Its collections cover Hungarian art in all genres, including the w ...

as well. A large number of his works were destroyed during the Second World War. In 2004 a New York gallery was host to a show of about seventy 19th- and early 20th-century Hungarian paintings, and a few works on paper, from the collection of Nicholas Salgo, a former United States ambassador to Hungary. The exhibition's title, ''Everywhere a Foreigner and Yet Nowhere a Stranger'', was drawn from Mednyánszky's diary.

List of works

* ''Marshland'' (1880) (Oil on canvas, 28 × 42 cm,

) * '' Night Travellers at a Cross'' (''Nocni Putnici pri Krizi'', 1880) (Tempera on panel, 244 cm × 94.5 cm,

) * ''Osiery with Cows'' (c. 1880) (Oil on canvas, 40 × 60 cm, Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest) * ''Watering'' (c. 1880) (Oil on canvas, 114 × 201 cm, Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest) * ''Fishing on the Tisza'' (after 1880) (Oil on canvas, 153.5 × 49 cm, Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest) * ''Waterside Scene in Luminescent Haze'' (Oil on canvas, 29.5 × 48 cm, Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest) * ''Waterside Scene with Figure'' (Oil on canvas, 85.5 × 99 cm, Private collection) * ''Old Tramp'' (1880s) (Oil on wood, 17.5 x 13 cm, Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest) * ''Head of a Boy'' (c. 1890) (Oil on wood, 41 × 31 cm, Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest) * ''Angler'' (1890) (Oil on wood, 27 × 21 cm, Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest) * ''View of the Forest'' (1890–91) (Oil on wood, 32.5 × 22,5 cm, Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest) * ''Trees with Hoar-frost'' (c. 1892) (Oil on canvas, 36.5 × 29 cm, Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest) * ''Under the Cross'' (c. 1892) (Oil on canvas, 34 × 50 cm, Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest) * ''Landscape at Autumn'' (1890s) (Oil on canvas, 101 × 74 cm, Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest) * ''In the Garden'' (Oil on canvas, 60 × 90 cm, Janus Pannonius Museum, Pécs) * ''Peasant Lad'' (Oil on canvas, 55 × 45 cm, Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest) * ''Study of a Head (Nyuli)'' (Oil on canvas, 47 × 32 cm, Private collection) * ''View of Dunajec'' (1890–95) (Oil on canvas, 98 × 73 cm, Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest) * Iron Gate at the Danube'' (1890–95) (Oil on canvas, 120 × 195 cm, Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest) * ''Mountain Landscape with Lake'' (Oil on canvas, 80 × 100 cm, Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest) * ''Lake in the Mountains'' (1895–99) (Oil on canvas, 33 × 41,5 cm, Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest) * ''Thawing of Snow'' (1896–99) (Oil on canvas, 120 × 140 cm, Dobó István Castle Museum, Eger) * ''Head of a Tramp'' (c. 1896) (Oil on wood, 45 × 34.5 cm, Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest) * ''Absinth Drinker'' (c. 1898) (Oil on canvas, 35 × 26.5 cm, Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest) * ''Down-and-out'' (after 1898) (Oil on canvas, 120 × 140 cm, Private collection) * ''Houses by the River'' (after 1898) (Oil on canvas, 40.5 × 61 cm, Private collection) * ''Waterside House'' (Oil on canvas, 72.5 × 100 cm, Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest) * ''Old Man'' (1896–97) (Oil on canvas, 100 × 70,5 cm, Private collection) * ''Tramp Seated on a Bench'' (c. 1898) (Oil on canvas, 70 × 100 cm, Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest) * ''Man Seated Wearing Hat'' (Oil on canvas, 34 × 26 cm, Private collection) * ''After the Brawl'' (c. 1898) (Oil on canvas, 85 × 65 cm, Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest) * ''In the Tavern'' (after 1898) (Oil on canvas, 162 × 130 cm, Private collection) * ''Landscape in the Alps (View from the Rax)'' (c. 1900) (Oil on canvas, 28,3 × 34.5 cm, Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest) * ''Tramp with Cigar'' (c. 1900) (Oil on canvas, 28.5 × 23 cm, Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest) * ''Head of a Tramp with Light Hat'' (c. 1900) (Oil on cardboard, 36.5 × 28 cm, Private collection) * ''Winter'' (1906) (Oil on wood, 25 × 30.5 cm, Private collection)

Gallery

image:László Mednyánszky Soldiers1914-1918.jpg, ''Soldiers'' (c.1914-18) image:László Mednyánszky Prisoners Marching Off 1914-18.jpg, ''Prisoners Marching Off 1914-18'' (1914–18) image:László Mednyánszky Hildside at Springtime (Little Landscape)1903-04.jpg, ''Hillside in Springtime'' (1903–04) File:Mednyánszky Shylock.jpg, ''

Shylock Shylock () is a fictional character in William Shakespeare's play '' The Merchant of Venice'' ( 1600). A Venetian Jewish moneylender, Shylock is the play's principal villain. His defeat and forced conversion to Christianity form the climax ...

'', ca. 1900 image:At the Iron Gate.jpg, ''

Iron Gates The Iron Gates (; ; ; Hungarian: ''Vaskapu-szoros'') is a gorge on the river Danube. It forms part of the boundary between Serbia (to the south) and Romania (north). In the broad sense it encompasses a route of ; in the narrow sense it only ...

on the

Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...

'' (1890–95) File:Angling Boy.jpg, ''Angling Boy'', (1890) image:Mednyánszky, László - Landscape at Autumn (ca 1890).jpg, ''Landscape in Autumn'' (ca 1890) image:László Mednyánszky Old Tramp 1880.jpg, ''Old Tramp'' (c.1880) image:László Mednyánszky (1852-1919) Watering.jpg, ''Watering'' (1852-1919) File:Mednyánszky, László - Day Labourer.jpg, ''Day Labourer''

References

External links

Fine Arts in Hungary: Works by László Mednyánszky

SNG online
at www.sng.sk – Slovakian National Gallery Online: Ladislav Mednyánszky and Strážky
Works held in Slovak art collections
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mednyanszky 1852 births 1919 deaths People from Nové Mesto nad Váhom District Academy of Fine Arts, Munich alumni Burials at Kerepesi Cemetery 19th-century Hungarian painters 20th-century Hungarian painters Hungarian male painters 19th-century Hungarian male artists 20th-century Hungarian male artists Gay painters Hungarian gay artists Hungarian LGBTQ painters Slovak LGBTQ painters 19th-century Slovak painters Painters from Austria-Hungary