Although he painted for less than ten years, László Paál became one of the most outstanding figures of Hungarian realistic landscape painting. After studying in Vienna, the Netherlands and Dusseldorf, he settled in Barbizon, where he painted nothing but forest scenes. Besides accurately depicting nature, his painting - sometimes lyrically refined, at other times dramatically disturbing - were also faithful representations of the artist's state of mind. Poplars (1876), made in Barbizon like Paál's other paintings, is very passionate, and its composition is generously comprehensive - qualities that made Paál one of the most important painters of the later period of the Barbizon School.
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