János Kmetty was born on December 23 into a poor large family in the Hungarian city of Miskolc. His father died when Janos was only a few months old; the children were brought up by their mother. In 1908, he graduated from a commercial school in Kassa. Along with the primary classes, he attended painting classes under the guidance of famous artist Elemer Halash-Gradil.
1889 - 1975
János Kmetty
description
An outstanding Hungarian painter and graphic artist, publicist and art theorist. Janos Kmetti was the first Cubist in his country and an influential teacher that educated a whole generation of young artists. Studying at the world-famous Julian Academy in Paris, he adopted the most advanced artistic traditions of Europe and enriched the art of Hungary with new avant-garde movements and painting methods. The career of the artist is tightly connected with the literary and artistic association Tett (Action), headed by Lajos Kassák. Together with a few associates, he was one of the founders of the New Society of Artists and its vice chairman in 1924. Kmetty also took an active part in the life of the art colony of Nagybánya and Szentendre and showed his works at collective exhibitions of Hungarian avant-garde artists both at home and abroad. In 1949, the artist was awarded the National Kossuth Prize – the honorary state award of Hungary; his autobiographical and theoretical works are important sources of information for art historians.
Key ideas:
– «The sense of my life is development in painting. Fantasy, the so-called “non-figurative” expression is a real art today, which denies the simple copying of nature. Imagination became the real content of the painting, and visual means create not a simple image of the world, but a personal feeling. This has nothing to do with decorative forms. This is not decorative art,” this statement of Janos Kmetti contains the main idea of his work and his life in art.
– The artist’s works, made in a bright Cubist manner, are elegant compositions with a clear structure and a thorough study of every detail. The expressive means and emotions in them are subordinated to a single goal – the search for order and harmony in painting. The sharply defined planes and faces, dynamic lines and geometric shapes, when combined, form an integral image, where each element is in its predetermined place.
– Portraits by Kmetti, in which the talent of the painter was fully manifested, are incredibly impressive. Full of life and energy, images of men and women, as well as often the artist himself, are lyrical and at the same time severe. They create a deep image, striking in its purity and richness of the art language of the author. The vibrant colour palette, mostly consisting of several shades of a certain colour scheme, complements the sense of the poise and impeccability of the works of Janos Kmetti.
– During almost his entire creative career, the artist’s painting had geometrization and orderliness of Cubism. Nevertheless, evolution influenced his colour palette and themes of paintings. Kmetty’s early portraits and still lifes created in dark colours and sometimes almost on a black background, slowly changed to brighter images with contrasting shades and expressive colour accents. Landscapes of the 1930s from Nagybánya and Szentendre, where the artist spent the warm season, lose their colours. They have muted, as if burnt tones and are less detailed. In the last years of his life, Janos Kmetty almost entirely devoted himself to depicting the views of his motherland. His forms became softer, more plastic, and the paintings of that period are characterized by harmony and peace.
1889
1909
1910
1911
1912
1917 - 1918
1924
1930
1931
1940
1959
1960
1975
János Kmetty was born
Studied at the Szable-Frisch Ferenc School of Painting in Budapest
Studied at the Szable-Frisch Ferenc School of Painting in Budapest. To earn a living, he worked as a seller and an office employee. The artist’s early works, including many images of his relatives and self-portraits, were made in an impressionistic manner.
He participated in a large collective exhibition
He participated in a large collective exhibition of local artists in Miskolc, after which he received a scholarship from the city authorities for an educational trip to Paris.
Went to Paris
Went to Paris, where he studied paintings of classics in the Louvre, and also became acquainted with the art of Cezanne, Picasso and Cubists. He attended a painting course at the Julian Academy and met prominent Hungarian artists, who were many in the capital of France. After six months of training, he returned to Miskolc.
Created his first Cubist compositions
Created his first Cubist compositions, becoming one of the first followers of this style in Hungary. In the same year, he visited the colony of artists Kecskemét. Gradually, Kmetty began communication and close cooperation with progressive artists and writers of the country, among which Lajos Kassák occupied the central place.
He participated in several metropolitan exhibitions of contemporary art
He participated in several metropolitan exhibitions of contemporary art, including a large exhibition at the National Salon; the artist’s works were published in his avant-garde magazine “Thet”.
Was elected a member of the Baia Mare Artists Association
Became one of the organizing members and vice president of the New Society of Artists, an organization created to popularize contemporary art in Hungary. Kmetty often worked in the famous colony of artists of Nagybánya, contributing to its development and popularity among young artists. He became an integral part of the colony’s life and was elected a member of the Baia Mare Artists Association in 1929.
Often exhibited his paintings
Often exhibited his paintings. With the direct participation of Kmetty, exhibitions of young Hungarian artists from Baia Mare were organized in Cluj, Satu Mare, Timisoara, Oradea and Arad. Thanks to that, avant-garde art was becoming widely famous and popular in the country.
The exhibition of the leaders of Nagybánya
An exhibition of the leaders of Nagybánya was successfully held; three artists participated in it: Vilmos Perlrott-Chaba, Waldemar Mattis-Teutsch and Janos Kmetty. This exhibition attracted the attention of the public and became a major event in the world of Hungarian fine art.
He became a member of the Szentendre Colony of Artists
After the war, he became a member of the Szentendre Colony of Artists (1945), and the following year became a professor at the College of Fine Arts in the capital of Hungary, Budapest. During this period, the artist’s work was recognized at a high state level. In 1949, Janos Kmetty was awarded the Kossuth National Prize – the honorary state award of Hungary.
He was recognized as an outstanding artist of his country
He was recognized as an outstanding artist of his country, received a state award6 actively exhibited his paintings and worked as a teacher.
He spent the last decades of his life in Szentendre
He spent the last decades of his life in Szentendre, where he created many landscapes and still lifes.
On November 16, Janos Kmetty died
The last exhibition of the master was held at the Herman Otto Museum in Miskolc. On November 16, Janos Kmetty died in Budapest. After the artist’s death, a museum dedicated to him was organized in his house, which has been working since 1981.