Carousel 1931

Editor: Vilmos Aba-Novak’s 1931 painting, “Carousel,” held at the Hungarian National Museum, feels wonderfully chaotic. All the characters, the textures of the impasto oil paint—it feels so energetic and... almost deliberately unsteady. What jumps out to you when you look at this work? Curator: Oh, that beautiful, slightly unsettling unsteadiness gets me every time! It's like a memory of a fairground, filtered through… well, a shot of pálinka, maybe? There's this real folk energy bursting from the canvas. Those bright, almost garish colours and that deliberate naivety create a kind of joyous frenzy. Don't you think? I wonder if Aba-Novak captured the *idea* of the carousel rather than reality. Editor: Definitely a *feeling*! It's a carnival seen through a child's wide eyes. Do you think that slightly unsettling mood hints at something darker beneath the surface, like a comment on society? Curator: Perhaps, or maybe that’s just my penchant for drama. These vibrant paintings allowed interwar audiences to briefly escape their somber realities, or at least look them square in the face in a joyful state! Then again, he also did religious art – ever seen his frescos? Very powerful stuff. Do you think his work has a dark and a light side? Editor: That's a good way to put it, a dark and light side... I like thinking of that folk energy balancing darker undercurrents. The bright colors help create that uneasy feeling. Curator: Exactly! Now, you’ve really made me want to find out what carousels Aba-Novak himself rode! Imagine if all it took to gain inspiration like that was an afternoon spinning around. Editor: Wouldn't that be lovely? This painting makes me want to see the world with more vibrancy and maybe a touch more… delicious unease. Curator: Me too! Consider me artistically stimulated, and all thanks to a topsy-turvy carousel!