KRAUDY, JÓZSEF (1806–1876)

Self-portrait, around 1850

oil on canvas, 45.5x36.5 cm; unmarked
Fine Arts Collection, Inv. No.: 53.56.1.

József Kraudy came from a Hungarian merchant family with Greek origins […]. He was both an artist and a patron of the arts, feeling more at home in the art scene as a businessman. Nevertheless, his self-portrait showcases that he was also a skilled painter. His clean use of colour resembles the colourist tones used in Venice, however this could also have been chosen deliberately due to the allegorical meaning associated to each colour. He wears a clean white shirt, a red painter’s coat and a green cap, which resembles the ‘Hungarianized’ uniforms worn by mine officers at that period. This suggests a very clear and conscious message about national assimilation. The proud, young artist is ready to face the world with confidence. He also proudly showcases his craft through the creative composition of various scenic attributes. The image is almost completely divided by the easel, which nearly obscures the entirety of his palette. This not only makes for a fine presentation but also showcases true artistic invention.
Kraudy was one of the most prominent figures in the cultural life of Miskolc. He lent and distributed books, translated and staged theatre plays and also performed several tasks related to fine arts. He painted the young József Lévay and made a fully body signboard for one of the local merchants, depicting him as a fisherman in traditional Neapolitan attire […]. These works provide an authentic depiction of the town’s life during that period. The aforementioned paintings were donated to the museum during the early 1900s by his relatives.
Gertrud Goda
(In: A Herman Ottó Múzeum Képtára. Edited by: Andrea Pirint. Miskolc, 2004. 26. Cat. no.: 16.)