Viktor Madarász

Viktor Madarász (14 December 1830 – 10 January 1917) was a Hungarian painter in the Romantic style. He is best known for his historical scenes and portraits.

Biography

He was born in

When the Hungarian Revolution began, he and his brother (also named András) left school to join the struggle. He was a participant in numerous actions, became a Second Lieutenant and was present during the surrender at Világos. After hiding out briefly, he returned home on foot and joined his family in Pécs. He continued with his legal studies, but also began taking lessons from a local artist.

In 1853, he enrolled for preparatory work at the

He returned to Hungary in 1870, but his style was heavily criticized for being too French, and revolutionary fervor had lessened considerably.[1] In 1873, after especially harsh criticism of his work Gábor Bethlen Among the Scholars, he retired from painting and took over his father's business. He was so discouraged that many of his best works were virtually given away.^[2]

In 1902, his business went bankrupt and was sold at auction. The following year, he attempted to restart his artistic career by painting portraits, but they were not up to his previous standards.^[2] He died in Budapest, totally forgotten, during the First World War.

Selected paintings

• 
  Kuruc and Labanc
• 
  The Mourning of
  László Hunyadi
• 
  Thököly's

  Dream
• 
  Dózsa's People

References

Further reading

• Karóly Lyka, Madarász Viktor, Élete És Mvei (Life and works, 1923), reprint by BiblioBazaar, 2011
  ISBN 1-2460-0783-5

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Viktor Madarász.

• Works by or about Viktor Madarász at Internet Archive
• An appreciation of Madarász by Ödön Kacziány @ Művészet