An artist unknown to him during his lifetime, Tivadar Kostka Chontvari, a century after his death, suddenly became famous thanks to his painting âThe Old Fishermanâ. The master himself was confident in his messianic mission, although contemporaries called it schizophrenia. Now hidden paintings and veiled hints are sought out in his paintings. Are they there? One of these works, which underwent a comprehensive analysis, is the painting âThe Old Fishermanâ.
Unrecognized artist
In 1853, the future painter was born in the Hungarian village of Kisseben. The fate of Tivadar and his five brothers was predetermined from childhood. They were prepared to continue their father's work. And the parent was a pharmacist and had medical practice. But before taking up pharmacology, the young man managed to graduate from high school, work as a sales clerk, and study at the faculty of law. And after all this he turned to family business. Arriving at the pharmacy, Tivadar worked here for fourteen long years.
One day, when he was 28, on a regular working day, he grabbed a prescription form and a pencil and sketched a plot: a cart, which was passing by the window at that moment, with buffalo harnessed to it. Prior to this, he did not show a penchant for drawing, but later in his autobiography he wrote that on that day he had a vision prophesying the fate of a great painter.
By the spring of 1881, Tivadar Kostka opened his own pharmacy in northern Hungary and saved enough money to travel to Italy. Like all young artists, he dreamed of seeing the masterpieces of the old masters. He was particularly attracted to the paintings of Raphael. I must say that later he was disappointed in the idol, not finding in nature on his canvases due liveliness and sincerity. After Rome, Kostka goes to Paris, and then to his homeland.
Seriously engage in painting Chontvari (such an alias in 1900 took an artist) began in the middle of 1890. He leaves his pharmacy to the brothers and comes to Munich to study painting. In many sources, Kostka is called self-taught, but meanwhile he studied at the art school of his famous compatriot, more successful in the field of art - Shimon Holloshi. The teacher was almost ten years younger than his student.
In Munich, Chontwari creates several portraits. The print of sadness on the faces of models makes them special in relation to the more cheerful rest of his work. He paints full-scale portraits only during his studies, later losing interest in this. After leaving Munich, the artist goes to Karlsruhe, where he continues to take lessons, now with Callmorgen. The artistâs biographers say that he lived at that time comfortably, buying the best Belgian-made canvases for work.
Last years
Studying did not bring satisfaction to Chontwari. He seemed to comprehend the laws of painting only in order to violate them. In 1895, he again went to Italy to work in nature in his favorite landscape genre. The artist visits not only Italy, but also France, Greece, the Middle East and Lebanon.
In 1907-1910, he held several of his personal exhibitions in Paris, Budapest and at home. They do not bring special fame to him, although some critics speak very approvingly. In Hungary, the artist is generally spoken of as crazy. It's no secret that he suffered from bouts of schizophrenia, but still hoped for the recognition of his compatriots.
By 1910, the disease began to progress. Attacks became more difficult, work was difficult. Chontwari hardly writes anymore, he makes only small sketches. He did not finish any work, although he made attempts. At the age of sixty, the artist died in Budapest, where he was buried.
Creative heritage
More than one hundred and fifty paintings and drawings were left behind by Tivadar Kostka Chontvari. The painting "The Old Fisherman", painted in 1902, is perhaps the most famous of all, the "iconic". Most of the works were created in the short period between 1903 and 1909. It was the artistâs heyday, a flash of genius. In their style, they are akin to expressionism. His works are also credited with traits of symbolism, post-impressionism, and even surrealism.
Posthumous recognition
After the death of Chontwari, his work survived only by a miracle. The sister turned to the appraisers to find out how much can be earned for the paintings. Those assured her that their artistic value is zero. Then the woman judged that if the paintings are bad, then the canvas, at least someone will come in handy. And put them in bulk for sale. All the work was taken by the architect Gideon Gerlotsi, having interrupted the price of the junkman. Later he posted paintings in the Budapest School of Fine Arts, and in 1949 he exhibited them in Belgium and France.
Before his death, the architect handed over his collection to Zoltan FĂŒlep, the future director of the Chontwari Museum. It was already a success. But the artist would have remained known only to a narrow circle of admirers in his homeland, if almost a century after his death one of the museum workers had not discovered a certain secret that the Old Fisherman painting has still kept. Since then, the name of Chontwari, who had not sold a single picture during his lifetime, became known to the whole world.
"Old Fisherman": description of the painting
Almost the entire space of the canvas is occupied by the figure of an elderly man. Storm wind ruffles his hair and old worn clothes. On the fisherman - a black blouse, a gray beret and a raincoat. He leans on a staff and looks at the viewer point-blank. His face is rough skin, it is covered with a frequent network of wrinkles. In the background, the artist located the sea bay. The waves are breaking on the shore, from the chimneys of houses on the shore there is a thick smoke. On the horizon are mountains, or rather, their silhouettes hidden by milky fog. In relation to the figure of the fisherman, the landscape is secondary and plays the role of the background.
Chontwari's painting âThe Old Fishermanâ is solved in a restrained color scheme, muted dim colors prevail: bluish, gray, sand, shades of brown.
The mystery of the painting "Old Fisherman"
What discovery did an employee of the museum make? We will reveal the intrigue: he discovered that if you close half of the canvas and reflect the rest of it symmetrically, you get a completely finished work of art. Moreover, this works in both cases: both on the right and on the left side of the picture. Here is such a secret for almost a hundred years, the painting "The Old Fisherman". Photos of the mounted halves can now be easily found on the Internet. The reflection of the right half is a noble old man, whitened with gray hair, against the background of the sea surface. If you reflect the left side, we will see a man in a pointed hat with slanting eyes and surging waves behind him.
Interpretation
The painting âThe Old Fishermanâ marked the beginning of the search for mystical hints in the works of Chontwari. The fact that during his lifetime the artist often switched to a prophetic tone added fuel to the fire. It is customary to interpret this painting as a symbol of dual human nature: both the light and dark halves, good and evil, coexist in one man. Sometimes she is also called âGod and the Devilâ, which again reflects her dualism.
Indeed, the success story of Tivadar Kostka Chontwari is an example of a series of happy coincidences (or a great fate that appeared to him in visions, who knows?). The painting âOld Fishermanâ - genius and madness - ironically became his key to world fame. Unfortunately, recognition did not come to him during his lifetime. But today, Chontwari is considered one of the best and most original artists of Hungary.