|
In 1832 Károly Markó the Elder went to Italy and remained there in Rome, Pisa and Florence until his death. His Campagna and Tuscan landscapes are inspired by nature and he enriched them by using mythological or biblical subjects or Italian genre scenes. His work was influenced by the art of seventeenth-century classic French landscape painters, Claude Lorrain and Gaspard Poussin, who had also lived in Italy.
Despite his absence, Markó kept pace with Hungarian art life, sending his pictures to the exhibitions of the Pest Art Association, which were held regularly from 1840 onwards. He kept open house for any Hungarian artist who happened to be travelling in Italy. The Hungarian press followed his work with interest, and even in his lifetime he was celebrated as the "Hungarian Claude Lorrain".
The "Fisherman", one of his most popular and largest canvases, was painted in the last period of his life. It is a summation of all his professional skill. The natural richness of the landscape is accompanied by suggestive colour perspectives, and the fine details are complemeneted by the homogeneous treatment of the surface.
|
