Last week I went to Budapest in Hungary to participate in a conference. I was stunned by art collections I found in museums there. You must forgive me that for the second day in a row you will see a masterpiece from beautiful Budapest. József Rippl-Rónai was the first painter who introduced modern artistic movements in the Hungarian art. In 1886 he obtained a grant which enabled him to move to Paris where he met the Nabis and sculptor Aristide Maillol with whom he became friends. The painting depicts the paintress Madame Mazet as the embodiment of cosmopolitan "fin de siecle" woman. The painter intends her to be an ambiguous figure; while she appears to be in a mood of mourning, her facial expression is enigmatic, hinting at something possibly frivolous and flirtatious, even a touch of "femme fatale". I couldn't take my eyes from this piece when I saw it. You don't know much about the Nabis? Wait for tomorrow DailyArt.
Lady with Black Veil
oil on canvas • 99 x 80 cm