Early 20th Century Maria Modok "Flowers in Bloom" Impressionist Still Life Painting

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Maria Modok was born in 1896 in the town of Rackeve, Hungary. She attended the Academy of Fine Arts and … Read more Maria Modok was born in 1896 in the town of Rackeve, Hungary. She attended the Academy of Fine Arts and also studied at the Independent School of Nagybanya.

Though not much is recorded of her early life, she began her artistic career in the 1920’s, producing mainly plein air pieces. Her early style is exhibited in works like Streambank and Szentendre.

In the 1930’s she frequently traveled to Paris where she continued her training at various private schools and further contributed to the Post Impressionism movement. During this period, she worked primarily in oils, creating landscapes such as The Bank of the Seine and Paris Sailboats.

Modok was always evolving as an artist and constantly redefining her work. She experimented with various media and movements, and created pieces of diverse subject matter. By 1935, Maria had moved well beyond the plein air and landscapes of her early career. That year, she held a one woman show which showcased paintings of mothers and children from the working class. Her understanding of and sensitivity to the issues that plagued the working class informed her paintings from this period, and can be seen in pieces such as Family and Woman in Black.

In 1940, Modok married Bela Czobel, one of the most highly regarded Hungarian artists of the twentieth century. After marrying, her work would take another turn, shifting her focus from family to flowers and fruit. She fell in love with this theme and it would dominate her work for many years. Her 1958 painting Black Roses is a perfect demonstration of how her powerful use of color was enhanced by this subject matter.

Throughout the 1950's, Modok traveled to Paris on a regular basis. The thriving creative atmosphere and artistic lifestyle would influence yet another metamorphosis in her style and expression. She began creating smaller, non figurative works that depicted new subject matter including variations of feathers and waterside landscapes. As she made the transition from figurative to non figurative, she developed a unique approach to expressive abstracts, using subtle, sensitive color palettes coordinated with the rhythmic styling of Post Impressionism.

Maria Modok died in 1971 in the city of Budapest. The impact of this versatile and proliferate artist is still felt today. Her work can be seen in the Czóbel Museum, Szentendre and at the Hungarian National Gallery in Budapest. See less