Sermon on the Mount (1930-as évek eleje)

From the turn of the 1920s and 1930s, Barta paints a series of symbolic images in which the popular theme of the period, Arcadia, and the world of the Bible appear. These paintings are a test case for the applicability of decorative symbolism, already well beyond the realm of spectacle painting, but still with the burden of expressing hidden meaning. The works depict impersonal figures with raised hands, writhing, staggering, frightened, whose gestures are given an independent compositional role. Only worship remains as an emotional element. The Sermon on the Mount fits into a series of works that evoke biblical visions (see: Noah's Ark, Revelation, Great in Faith, The Holy City).