Picnic in May | Pál Szinyei Merse | 1873

Pál Szinyei Merse was a Hungarian politician that liked to paint.

In Picnic in May, we look at a scene in a park with 6 characters: four men and two women. As the proportions may anticipate, both women are besieged and wooed by two men, while the remaining, evidently bored, eat or play with a bottle.

Today we look, without any doubt, at an impressionist painting, which is one of the first examples of the movement in Central Europe. Despite the fact that Merse always wanted to travel to Paris, the birthplace of the impressionism, he could only did that in 1908. This is why his paintings developed apart from the influence of other artists. Merse’s work is known for the coloring, as he would contrast tones continuously, making the effect of the colors to pop up.

Despite his efforts, Merse’s work was never recognized.

Probably because it is ugly.