Evening in March 1902

Karoly Ferenczy made 'Evening in March' with brushes loaded with paint. I can imagine him, out in the open air with a canvas propped up, layering those thick strokes one after another. There is a dialogue happening on the canvas, between the cool violet sky and the warm browns and yellows of the buildings, figures, and horses. That church tower stabbing upwards, announcing itself loud and clear. Ferenczy must have worked quickly to capture the scene as the light changed. He was part of a generation who were breaking away from academic painting to create their own vision of modern art in Hungary. It reminds me of the way Édouard Manet used to go out into the parks of Paris to find his subject matter. It is a reminder that artists are always looking to each other. Ferenczy wasn’t afraid to leave things unresolved, allowing the painting to maintain a sense of vitality. It’s a great example of how paintings don’t have to be about one thing; they can hold multiple possibilities all at once.