Lake in the Mountains 1899

Curator: This is László Mednyánszky’s “Lake in the Mountains,” painted in 1899. What’s striking is how physical the paint is, particularly for a landscape. Editor: My first impression is one of stark, ethereal beauty. The muted tones evoke a quiet, almost melancholy mood. It feels remote and untouched. Curator: Absolutely. He builds up this incredible impasto, especially in the sky and mountains, you can almost feel the labor of each stroke. It feels very much like the *act* of painting is just as important as the scene itself. You can tell he used the Plein-air technique here. Editor: It reminds me of Romantic notions of the sublime, the idea of nature as this overwhelming force, capable of inspiring both awe and terror. Considering Mednyánszky’s social consciousness, particularly his focus on marginalized communities, it is valid to imagine a different approach of reflecting on the position of those facing hardship in contrast to the grandiosity of the landscape.. Curator: I agree about the sublime, but what I also find fascinating is how the landscape is composed. He flattens the picture plane, almost abstracting it with how much texture he is putting down. Is he representing a landscape, or really just paint? It does invite discourse surrounding labor; reflecting how challenging and tough work, especially in a time where there was less focus and action around workers’ right, felt similar to tackling great mountain and tough environments. Editor: That’s a compelling perspective. Looking at it that way, the materiality speaks to not only Mednyánszky's artistic choices but also broader social implications, like environmental stewardship or even the psychological impact of industrial labor in this time of growing awareness surrounding these concerns. This painting offers layers upon layers, making it a fascinating meditation on humanity, the natural world, and our place within it. Curator: It truly does, it merges landscape, pure application of labor to art, and an intersection of all sorts of human concepts and contexts within paint all mixed into one, each consideration adding richness and depth to the work as a whole. Editor: Precisely. This conversation is just the beginning of uncovering more!