Samu Börtsök (15 March 1881,
Tápiószele - 19 June 1931,
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 ...
) was a Hungarian landscape painter.
Biography
He began by studying law, but switched to art and became a student of
István Réti
István Réti (26 December 1872 – 17 January 1945) was a Hungarian painter, professor, art historian and leading member, as well as a founder and theoretician, of the Nagybánya artists' colony, located in what is present-day Baia Mare ...
at the
Nagybánya artists' colony (now
Baia Mare
Baia Mare ( , ; ; ; ) is a Municipiu, city along the Săsar, Săsar River, in northwestern Romania; it is the capital of Maramureș County. The city lies in the region of Maramureș, a subregion of Transylvania. It is situated about from Buchare ...
, Romania), where he also came under the influence of
Simon Hollósy
Simon Hollósy (2 February 1857 – 8 May 1918) was a Hungarian painter. He was considered one of the greatest Hungarian representatives of 19th-century Naturalism and Realism.
Hollósy was not highly productive as an artist and was more im ...
. In the winter of 1905, he worked at
Károly Ferenczy
Károly Ferenczy (February 8, 1862 – March 18, 1917) was a Hungarian painter and leading member of the Nagybánya artists' colony.Ilona Sármány-Parsons"Károly Ferenczy" Oxford Art Online
He was among several artists who went to Munich for ...
's private school. The following year, he made a brief study tour through Paris, Vienna and Munich.
[Samu Börtsök](_blank)
@ Képzőművészet Magyarországon (Fine Arts in Hungary) Two years later, he held his first exhibition.
In 1908, he returned to Nagybánya, established himself there, and was among the first to open a permanent studio, although he continued to paint
plein-air
''En plein air'' (; French language, French for 'outdoors'), or plein-air painting, is the act of painting outdoors.
This method contrasts with studio painting or academic rules that might create a predetermined look. The theory of 'En plein ai ...
as the other artists did. Three years later, he became the Vice-President and Executive Chairman of the Nagybánya Painter's Society.
In 1912, he and Réti created the first Nagybánya exhibition catalog. Ten years later, at Réti's request, he compiled a biographical directory of the colony's artists.
He then became a teacher at the local art school in 1925.
Shortly after, however, he began to be seriously ill. As a young man, when he was briefly a member of the
Hussar
A hussar, ; ; ; ; . was a member of a class of light cavalry, originally from the Kingdom of Hungary during the 15th and 16th centuries. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen were subsequently widely adopted by light cavalry ...
s, he had been thrown from his horse, which then stepped on his stomach. He had suffered from bouts of illness ever since, but they now worsened significantly. In 1930, he moved his family to Budapest, seeking improved treatment, but died in 1931; apparently from lung failure.
His widow had to sell his paintings to pay off their debts.
References
Further reading
*István Réti, Géza Csorba. ''Nagybányai művésztelep''. Fourth edition, Vince Kiadó, 2004
* Nóra Aradi, editor-in-chief, ''A magyarországi művészet története'' (Hungarian Art History) Volume 6: 1890–1919 (editor: Lajos Németh), Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, 1985,
External links
ArtNet: More works by Börtsök
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bortsok, Samu
1881 births
1931 deaths
Hungarian landscape painters
20th-century Hungarian painters
People from Tápiószele