BORSOS, József

What can make the young artist dissatisfied in a studio where all accoutrements necessary for his profession are present. The inspiration was perhaps disturbed by the debate of critics who could not not agree if painting should portray reality or the idea of beauty.

Borsos painted this picture in 1852. The artist may have had problems of how to link the picture to the events of 1848, events full of enthusiasm first and sorrow later. The artist’s figure, whose beard, hair, eyes, black traditional Hungarian clothes are similar to those of Pet�fi, a poet and a major figure of 1848-49, seems to recall the poet. Borsos’ “National Guard” painted in 1848 proved, too, that he was not left untouched by ideas of the revolution.

This painting is a fine example of the Viennese influence on Hungarian genre painting.

In Borsos’ picture, brocades, pleats, ribbons, jewels, candelabra, fashion magazines and carpet patterns rival one another in depicting the atmosphere after the girls’ ball and the grandiose surroundings. The artist arranged the scene himself as if it were a tableau vivante according to the fashion of those days. Borsos, who portrayed the life of the upper class, tested himself as a stage director. The spell of the night, gossip and musing, a kind of freshness which made the artist want to arrest the irrevocable charm of the moment. The artist’s daughter was one of the models.

Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 3 minutes):

Johannes Brahms: Hungarian Dance No 6