Culver City,
California
x
Maker: György Kádár (1912-2002)
Night on the fields
Date Made: 1950s
Country: Hungary
Measurements: 121 cm x 150 cm; 47 5/8 in x 59 1/16 in
János Kádár's regime sought out artists loyal to the communist movement in the late 1950s to accomplish the desired changes in the fine arts: to move from Socialist realism to Socialist modern styles. Paintings were ideological in content (e.g., showcasing the modernization of agriculture), yet modern in form. György Kádár (no relation to the communist leader) adopted a classical modernist style that combined expressive and constructivist forms. In Night on the Field, Kádár adjusts his linear delineation of the landscape to the mechanized traces of the harvester and his expressive use of color (reminiscent of van Gogh) to capture the artificial lighting of this optimistic night scene. Kádár transmits the power of the harvester through the stark lighting of its headlights — identifying the harvester as a beacon of progress — while representing the landscape through an interlacing of lines, harking back to the formal geometries of 1920s constructivism.
Accession Number: 2011.203.010
Item Name: Painting
Collection/Series: Painting Collection