Pink Moon II 1947

Piroska Szanto made "Pink Moon II" with pastel on paper. In this image, Szanto offers us a dreamlike landscape, where stylized plants reach towards an enormous moon. We might consider the place of an artwork like this in mid-20th century Hungary, where artistic expression was often caught between the push for socialist realism, and more experimental modes of expression. Szanto's picture employs a non-naturalistic palette and flattened forms reminiscent of art nouveau. The scene is evocative, but it resists any clear narrative. It may be that the artist is exploring personal themes, but indirectly, using the cover of abstraction. She navigates the institutional pressure, carving out a space for individual imagination. To understand Szanto’s work more fully, we can research the dominant artistic trends, and the political constraints placed upon artists in Hungary at the time. In doing so, the image comes alive, as an expression of an individual’s place in society.