Biography
Károly Kernstok was a Hungarian painter and graphic artist, one of the significant representatives of the Hungarian avant-garde.
He was born as the first-born son of architect Károly Kernstok and Mária Kellendorfer. He began his studies at the School of Applied Arts. From 1892 he studied in Munich with Simon Hollósy, and in 1893–1895 at the Julian Academy in Paris. He returned home in 1896 and became a student at Gyula Benczúr's master's school for three years. In 1906, he traveled to Paris, where he got acquainted with the new style trends. In 1907, he became the founder of the Group of Eight. In 1919, he was the head of the Art Policy and Fine Arts Free School of the Soviet Republic. After the fall, he emigrated to Berlin, where he lived until 1926, then returned to Budapest, but spent most of his time in Nyergesújfalu. He was also a frequent guest at the Szolnok artist colony. He was the president of the artistic council of the New Society of Artists (KUT).
Károly Kernstok is one of the main representatives of modern painterly endeavors, without a doubt the most important painter of the beginning of the 20th century, with a decisive individuality, searching for new paths. At the beginning of his career, he painted naturalistic pictures. His trips to Paris introduced him to the new aspirations of the time, these new trends had a great influence on him and determined his later painting.
His expression is unique, his figures are almost sculptural. In his early works, the main emphasis is still on the harmony of colors. Drawing elements, solid shapes, and powerful colors will soon appear in his works. In Paris, he joined the Fauves group. This group was the forerunner of Cubism. He is rightly referred to as one of the most significant representatives of the Group of Eight. At that time, Paris was the revolutionary hub of the arts. Together with other Hungarian artists, Kernstok brought the local aspirations to Hungary, such as Cubism or Fauvism. All of these can be seen in later pictures. Strong lines, hard shapes, and an almost poster-like way of representation appear more and more often in his works. His figures are athletic and powerful.
During the First World War, he returned to more lyrical images, where he approached the expressionist style. In 1912, he painted glass windows for the County Hall in Debrecen. His later pictures moved away from the leading stylistic trends of the time: he painted figurative compositions with a drawing approach, which in their style approach classicism.