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Károly Lyka, the artist's best friend who did most to make the Nagybánya school of painting appreciated, wrote the following on how the picture came about, "On an autumn day, Réti saw a strange procession on a road to the cemetary: drums were beaten and flags were flying when some soldiers of 1848, the war of independence, were marching down the road. They were burying one of their comrades. Réti, who thought highly of the revolution and the war of independence of 1848, was deeply moved and inspired to paint the scene. The picture is dimly lit and the sky is clouded. All plastic forms are blurred in the colourless air, objects have no shapes and are only phenomena. Figres are still lively, old soldiers are marching down the road slowly, their carriage reflecting that they used to be soldiers. This is a sad, or rather melancholic picture."
Atmosphere considered by Hollósy to be most important is perfectly expressed, of artists of the Nagybánya school, perhaps Réti was the best at it.
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