Biography
József Rippl-Rónai was a Hungarian painter and graphic artist, one of the most significant masters of 20th century Hungarian fine arts. He took drawing lessons from the beginning of the 1880s. From 1884 he attended the Munich Academy of Arts. In 1887, he went to Paris and studied with Mihály Munkácsy, later becoming his assistant. At first, the influence of his master, whose style he imitated, was visible in his painting. During his stay in France, he also got acquainted with new style trends. He was a member of the Nabis painting group, along with Pierre Bonnard, Maurice Denis, Paul Sérusier, Édouard Vuillard, K. X. Roussel, Félix Vallotton, his good friend Aristide Maillol and others.
After returning home, he had an exhibition in Budapest in 1900, and then settled in Kaposvár in 1902. It was presented to the domestic audience in 1906. He was a founding member of the Circle of Hungarian Impressionists and Naturalists (MIÉNK) and also participated in the West movement. He visited France again, where at the outbreak of the First World War in 1914 he was captured and interned in Paris as a citizen of an enemy state. In addition to painting, he was also involved in the design and production of works of applied art. In 1912, he made the large glass window of the Ernst Museum. His second wife was Baudrion Lazarine, and his adopted son was dr. Róbert Martyn, who later also inherited the Rome villa.
He is considered the best Hungarian representative of post-impressionist and secessionist efforts. His paintings are characterized by rich colors, stylizing lines and decorativeness. At the beginning of the 1900s, he painted pictures using a delicate pastel technique. In his works, he presents the life of the small town, the best example of this is the series presenting Bácsek Piacsek. His name is associated with the specific "corn" style, where he applied the oil paint like a cotton ball, spot by spot, on cardboard. This style is most comparable to Fauvism and Pointillism, and colorful, flamboyant colors also appeared in it. When he lived in the Rome villa, he often did not retreat to his studio to paint, but in the park of the villa, among his family members, friends and animals.