Lot 126: László Paál (Hungarian, 1846-1879)

A Forest in Barbizon
signed 'L. de Páal' (lower left)
oil on canvas
51 1/2 x 76 3/4 in. (130 x 194.9 cm.)

THE PROPERTY OF A GENTLEMAN

Lazlo de Páal began his artistic training in Vienna, where he had been sent to study law by his father. In 1869, at the Exposition internationale in Munich he was exposed to works by Gustave Courbet, Jean-Francois Millet, Narcisse Virgile Diaz de la Pena and Theodore Rousseau, all of whose influence is clearly evident in his work.

Encouraged by his bosom friend, Mihály Munkácsy whom he had met in Dusseldorf, de Páal settled in Barbizon in order to indulge his passion for landscape painting. In 1877, a short time before his death, Munkácsy painted a portrait of de Páal, which is considered one of the older master's finest work. (fig. 1)

Like Munkácsy, de Páal is considered one of the foremost Hungarian painters of the 19th Century, and along with those of his famous countryman his works are more akin to the art of Courbet, the Barbizon School and the Russian Realists. (fig. 2) De Páal's works are imbued with a profound humanism and although, like Munkácsy, de Páal did not sympathize with the daring ideas of the Impressionists, he was not afraid to experiment with new ways of delineating nature. Clearly impressed by the work of Courbet, de Paal uses the same dark ground, and orchestrated the overlying greens, yellows and reds into a clear and always captivating harmony. Also like Courbet, de Páal imbued his landscapes with an atmosphere that takes on a life of its own, creating a mood through atmosphere. De Páal suffered from a debilitating disease, the same as Munkácsy, however he was a ravaged and tragic figure while only in his mid-thirties. He died at the Charenton Asylum outside of Paris in 1879 at the age of thirty-three.

(fig.1) Mihály Munkácsy, Portrait of Laszlo de Páal, 1887, Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest.

(fig. 2) Mihály Muncáscy, Avenue, 1886, Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest.

WITHDRAWN