The painting is such an artwork of Bortnyik, which was created in the style of the Neue Sachlichkeit (New Objectivity) after the close of the period of flat-geometric image-architecture - see: the six screen prints of the MA (Today) album, - after his "break" with this style! By abandoning the previous "two-dimensional" way of representation, the artist emphatically strives to highlight the three-dimensional nature of the composition of the painting! In addition, an extremely strong Cubist influence can be felt in the painting.

This work of art is actually a fusion of the style elements of the Neue Sachlichkeit with the style features of Cubism, which fact makes this work a real curiosity!

The elements of the chessboard appears in several of Bortnyik's works (as an artistic sublimation of the "game" of fate), and the artist felt a passionate affection for the dynamics and overwhelming momentum of Futurism, without directly displaying its stylistic features! While the stylistic features of the Neue Sachlichkeit (or New Objectivity) and the Cubism can be clearly discerned in the painting, - in fact they dominate it, - while Futurism is "merely" represented by the composition and its editing method, as if suggesting that dynamism, that all-sweeping, overwhelming momentum that can be felt in its physical reality when a locomotive "full steam" passes us by!

For Bortnyik, a lovely and favorite motif was the railway, the dynamics and momentum of locomotives and trains, and their pictorial representation. He prefered to take care about the position and fate of this symbol of progress! (See: "Let's build up the railway!" his mobilizing poster right after World War II.) Metaphorically, the artist's unshakable faith in the "inevitability" of social progress is "projected" in the motif of the locomotive. The artistic faith placed in social progress, - in the overwhelming power, momentum, and dynamism of this progress, - is manifested in the most blatant way in the Bortnyik's work called the Red locomotive. Along with the Red factory, these, - his creations proclaiming the inevitability of social progress, - were the artistic declarations that made him decide to leave the country in 1919, and only in 1925 due to the tormenting homesickness that hindered his artistic fulfillment and functioning returned home, - after a short stay in Kassa, - from Weimar! Leaving behind his beloved, Alma Buscher, who was - in Moholy-Nagy's characterisation  - the "Coat of Arms" of the Bauhaus, working in the children's furniture department! Who did not follow him to Hungary. So that from this huge "experience" of disappointment could be born in 1924 in Weimar the artwork, entitled:  Raum, Frau, Ich (Space, Woman, Myself) saturated with resignation (as a visual "beautiful message of dismissal") and in 1925 (already leaving Weimar, but not having returned home yet), the now frivolous and pretentious, satirical and self-ironic masterpiece of Bortnyik entitled: Painter and model!

In this painting, in a less directly ideological way than can be seen in action in the work entitled The Red Locomotive, (already in the cross-talking title, in addition to the color), but appears the dynamism, the all-sweeping momentum, the "steam power," which is from the path of the social progress, from the path of the progression imagined by the artist, - according to his assumptions - will sweep away all obstacles!

What makes the painting very special is that, as mentioned, the elements of Picasso's Cubism can be discovered, but appears on it, as "witnesses" of Bortnyik's Weimar years, as well as the stylistic features of the Neue Sachlichkeit which conquered Weimar by that time, manifesting as a special "alloy" the dynamism and overwhelming momentum of Futurism infused "only" by the editing method of the composition.

The painting thus bears the stylistic features of Bortnyik's major creative periods. The Neue Sachlickeit was a "turn back" from the emphatically, even forced, two-dimensional world and style of flat-geometric image-architecture towards spatial representation, the re-presentation of the third dimension. The artists who "cultivated" the flat-geometric image-architecture as a result of the bloody storm of World War I. and the complex social anarchy that generated further horrors that followed, by the beginning of the 1920s, - with the exception of Kassák, who was an unbreakable representative of constructivism, the flat-geometric image-architectural representation method throughout his life, - so the other artist moved away from the "engineer of society" vision, and gave up the flat-geometric image-architectural, constructivist creative style manifested in two-dimensional representation. The manifestation of the return to the old-new three-dimensional representation was the style of the Neue Sachlichkeit.

By abandoning his previous "two-dimensional" way of representation, the artist is clearly trying to emphasize the three-dimensional nature of the composition of the painting in this work as well! Which he tries to emphasize by depicting the train in a non-straight line too!

The plane-geometric image-architecture, (as Bortnyik called it, who was the "namesake" of this stylistic trend, and the greatest Hungarian and one of the greatest international masters of this avant-garde style was Lajos Kassák, who, unlike László Moholy-Nagy and Sándor Bortnyik, - as mentioned, -  so Kassák created in this style during his entire artistic career,) elements are no longer found in this painting, but appears on it, - as mentioned, - the elements of the New Objectivity (or Neue Sachlichkeit,) - and the distinct stylistic features of Cubism!

The artwork is a masterpiece! Bortnyik's works, - especially these early works, - are very rare on the art market, since one of his creatív period (in which he created the most valuable works) had been spent abroad. For a short time in Vienna, and then for four years in Weimar! As such, his masterpieces created abroad were largely scattered over the decades. This work is an essence of the change in attitude and creative style that took place in the artist in the early 1920s, and as such, it belongs to Bortnyik's most valuable works!

Details of the painting:

Technique: oil - cardboard

Size without frame: 24 x 28 cm

Size with frame: 33 x 37 cm

I offer a 30-day money-back guarantee for the painting, subject to the following conditions:

If, within 30 days of the purchase, the buyer sends me the written opinion of a forensic expert - which written opinion meets the strict requirements of the law for expert opinions - by post or electronic means, stating that the artwork is "not original"!

The calculation of the 30-day repurchase period begins at the time of the purchase of the painting at the gallery sale, and the date of receipt of the expert opinion by me, - receiving it by post or sending the e-mail containing the expert opinion to me, - is the time that must be taken into account when determining whether the guaranteed 30-day period for repurchase has expired or not.

If the buyer makes a claim, then based on the above conditions, we can fix the buyback guarantee in a separate contract!

If you have the time and desire, please take a look at my other items!