The work "Buddha Statuette on the Balcony", by Cserepes István in the interwar period, reflects the emerging interest in the era for oriental cultures. While the Hungarian artist formed his style in Paris, personalities like Mircea Eliade traveled to exotic places like India, to investigate the religions specific to these places or spiritual practices, such as yoga.
The floral lines, the balcony hardware, and the constitutive lines of the statue end up being infused with each other because the artist chooses to stylize them in a similar and rhythmic way, flattening the work, namely bringing all these sinuous lines in what seems to be a single plan. The appearance of the background, similar to a complex textile material, is a perfect illustration of the decorative element, present in several movements of modern art.
The pleasant rhythm of the work is given by alternations between the sharp shapes of the triangles in the background, intersected with the smooth and clear curves that surround the statuette, and the decorative, sinuous vines that intersect the shapes.
The theme is rendered in a playful modernist manner, featuring the influences of the artist's master, Csók István, an important figure in Hungarian interwar painting. The manner of representation, but also the color palette reveals a strong emphasis on the decorative.
Cserepes István
Buddha statuette on the balcony
Oil, cardboard, 48 x 35 cm
signed at the bottom right in monogram with pencil: CS s
signed at the bottom right with a pencil: Cserepes
Condition of the work:
the upper right and lower right corners are damaged; the paint layer is in good condition
Cserepes István
Budapesta, 1901 - Budapesta, 1944
He lived his life faithful to a creed for which he died.
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