Ferenc Liszt I. Mihály Munkácsy

The genre pieces and landscapes of Munkácsy represented the Hungarian variant of French realism, while his portraits, his three paintings of Christ and the ceiling fresco of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna are high-quality works of historicist academism. Munkácsy lived a luxurious life with his French wife in Paris from 1872. Especially from the 1880s their Thursday soirées were visited by distinguished guests from all over Europe: aristocrats, statesmen, artists, including naturally Hungarians. They were visited by the archbishop of Kalocsa, Lajos Haynald, and Franz Liszt several times. Liszt visited the Munkácsys in March 1886. On 23 March, Mrs. Munkácsy organised a grand banquet with a concert, and on 25 March another concert at the Church of Saint Eustache where Liszt’s Esztergom Mass was performed. Munkácsy began his portrait of Liszt during the visit and finished it relatively quickly, in two weeks. It is the last portrait of the composer, who died that summer in Weimar. This depiction of the old master is the best portrait by Munkácsy, who was a sensitive judge of the human soul. The dark background and dark clothes accentuate the whiteness of the composer’s hair and face, throwing not only the facial features into deep relief but also putting the stress on characterisation. | Zsuzsanna Bakó