Vajda Lajos Houses in Szentendre 1937 Tempera on Cardboard, 28x43cm 1937

Editor: Here we have Vajda Lajos's "Houses in Szentendre," painted in 1937, using tempera on cardboard. It strikes me as quite…fragmented. Like a dream of a town, perhaps? What do you see in this piece? Curator: Fragmented is a good word! It feels to me like looking at a memory, something both familiar and just out of reach. Notice how the geometric forms suggest buildings, but never quite resolve into them. And that dark, brooding background – almost overwhelming the houses themselves! It asks a question, doesn't it? Editor: A question? About what? Curator: Well, look at the period – 1937. Europe's on the brink. Does this almost fractured depiction of Szentendre reflect a premonition, an anxiety about the future? Or is it a more personal kind of unease? Perhaps Vajda's grappling with his own sense of belonging, or trying to capture something about the changing identity of the town? Editor: That makes sense. The dark colours give a kind of ominous tone, especially contrasted with the lighter patches in blues and yellows of the buildings. You wouldn’t think a cityscape could have such emotional weight. Curator: Cityscapes aren't just maps of bricks and mortar, are they? They are reflections of us, of our anxieties and our hopes, especially during unsettled times. Now, does the overall composition change at all how you might view other examples of more straightforward abstract paintings from the period? Editor: It really does. I had not considered that aspect before! Thank you so much! Curator: My pleasure. Now I can really say that I have new perspectives on geometric art too!