1845 -1920 · Hungary, Munich and outdoor painting

Spring light, bold color and freedom of the outdoors make Pál Szinyei Merse a pioneer of Hungarian modernity.

Pál Szinyei Merse was born in Szinyeújfalu in 1845 and died in Jernye in 1920. He studied at the Munich Academy, notably in the studio of Karl von Piloty, but gradually turned away from great historical painting in favor of a direct vision of nature. Attendance with artists like Arnold Böcklin and Wilhelm Leibl encouraged him to seek a freer color and more immediate light. Painted in 1873, Picnic in May, or Majali, depicts friends lying in the grass in the heart of a spring landscape. Painted in 1873, Picnic in May, or Majali, represents friends lying in the grass in the heart of a spring landscape. Painted in 1873, Picnic in May, or Majali, represents friends lying in the grass in the heart of a spring landscape. Painted in 1873, Picnic in May, or Majali, represents friends lying in the grass in the heart of a spring landscape. Light dresses, red hats, intense blue skies and green match without strong academic modeling. Designed independently at the time when impressionism was formed in France, the work initially disconcerted Hungarian critics. Discouragement kept Szinyei Merse away from painting for a long time, but his rediscovery at the end of the century made him a celebrated precursor. He then took up the brush again, became involved in public life and helped defend a more open artistic group. His art then shows that modernity can arise from a simple sensation: being outside, together, in the light. His art shows that modernity can be born from a simple sensation: being outside, together, in the light. His art shows that modernity can be born from a simple sensation: being outside, together, in the light. His art shows that modernity can arise from a simple sensation: being outside, together, in the light. His art shows that modernity can arise from a simple sensation: being outside, together, in the light. The "Pál Szinyei Merse" selection notably compares Picnic in May. His reading favors space.

Szinyei Merse makes air and color the real subject: the picnic becomes the immediate experience of a shared spring.