The Eight
Modernist endeavours in the visual arts in Hungary began in the 1910s with the radical programme followed by the art group called the Eight. Originally referred to as the Kernstok Circle, an offshoot of the Circle of Hungarian Impressionists and Naturalists (NIIÉNK), the group held their first show, titled New Pictures, in the exhibition premises of the Könyves Kalmán company in Budapest in December 1909. Formally adopting the name of the Eight in April 1911, they held their first exhibition in the National Salon in Budapest. Béla Czóbel, who lived in Paris, was only nominally present alongside the rest of the exhibitors. In addition to works by the other seven painters who made up the core of the group - Róbert Berény, Dezsó Czigány, Károly Kernstok, Odön Márffy, Bertalan Pór, Dezsó Orbán, and Lajos Tihanyi -, there were also embroideries by Anna Lesznai and sculptures by Vilmos Fémes Beck and Mark Vedres. In their fundamental philosophy of art, the Eight reverted to the classical modernism of Paul Cézanne, to the conscious formation of shapes resting on solid values. They broke away from recording impressions in paint, and in their compositions they sought a visual interpretation of the interconnections within the spectacle. They were fond of exploring the equilibrium offered by nudes in natural surroundings, and often employed a variety of combinations involving bathers and riders. Their still lifes on tables, composed of just a few objects - fruit, dishes, jugs and cloths -, were also derived from Cézanne's art. Their emphasis on rational creative methods did not, however, rule out the possibility of more sensually motivated painterly expression. The distorted forms and striking gestures in the emotive portraits by Lajos Tihanyi and Róbert Berény are evocative representations of the sitters' characters.
The Eight only exhibited together for a relatively short period of time, putting on just three group shows in all. The last was held at the National Salon in Budapest in the winter of 1912, where only four members participated. Even during the group's brief existence, however, with their radical views and innovatively conceived compositions, the Eight managed to cause a dramatic shake-up of the conservative official art scene.
Modern Times
