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To Csontváry, the Valley of Tarpatak in the Tátra Mountains was not merely a pleasant scene from nature. Since he was young he had carried a vision of it within him and considered its representation as a criterion of his own artistic knowledge. Monumental composition, expressionist fever and the symbolism of Art Nouveau are all characteristic of his works, and they are condensed in this powerful picture, "The Valley of Tarpatak in the Tátra".
He recorded in his diary, "I spent the summer in the Tátra, amongst the scent of pine-trees, wild strawberries, raspberries, and bilberries. I listened to the singing of the lark in the cornfields, the nightingale in the thicket and I saw eagles shrieking high in the sky. At dawn, day after day, I watched the flaming Carpathians and settled on Tarjakán Hill at Dezső Szilágyi's monument. From here I enjoyed the Nagy-Tarpatak waterfall and the proud Lomnic peak and others. The vivid lighting and inexpressible remoteness of the rocks on the peak made a deep impression on me. I did not draw, I did not paint, I just watched and admired the monumental beauty of nature, the quiet deep rhythm of the atmosphere, the most beautiful nature-music of joy..."
The following year, without any preparatory sketches or studies, he painted the large canvas. It is not the vast surface of the picture but the inner tension of the representation that produces the monumental effect.
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