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Soma Orlai Petrics's "Portrait of the Artist's Mother", painted about 1853, was among the earliest Hungarian examples of a realistic approach to portrait painting. The artist depicted the person dearest to him very simply, yet the picture makes a strong statement. The collected, energetic brush-strokes and the psychological approach anticipated the dramatic character of Mihály Munkácsy's paintings. Orlai was a friend and relative of the great 19th-century poet, Sándor Petőfi; together they undertook the mission of popularizing art by displaying elements of Hungarian folklore. Orlai was also one of the first Hungarian artists to paint historical compositions, and in this he was the first to take up themes which later became popular. Unfortunately, his technique of painting figures was lacking in stability, and thus his achievements were soon surpassed by his pupils. Nevertheless, with his portraits and his genre scenes from the lives of the everyday people - worthy of his teacher, Waldmüller - Orlai had a lasting effect on Hungarian art.
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