Emil Lindenfeld

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Emil Lindenfeld

Emil Lindenfeld (1905 – 1986) was a Hungarian-American oil-painter. He is best known for his vibrant choice of colors painting working people, idyllic pastoral landscapes, sensuous nudes, peasants on the field but, perhaps his most dramatic theme, the life of the miner.

1 Early Years
2 Life During World War II
3 United States
4 Periods of Color
5 Quotes
6 External links
7 Sources

[edit] Early Years

Emil Lindenfeld was born in Hódmezővásárhely, Hungary, in 1905. He began his art studies under the supervision of János Tornyai, a Hungarian master of the 20th century. At age 15, the town held an exhibition of his paintings in the local movie theater.

Hungary soon proved to be too small a home for Emil’s ambition. His dream was the azure skies and bright sunshine of Italy, the cradle of art. In 1926, at age 21, he moved to Milan, Italy with great expectations but only 60 liras in his pocket. After spending a night in a cheap hotel, he bought two small canvases and some paint with the rest of his money. He painted two Hungarian landscapes and attempted to sell his paintings by going door to door. Finally, after no apparent luck, he sat down on the terrace of a coffee shop to exhibit his paintings. He was hungry, exhausted and his hope was waning. Then, the curator of the National Galleries happened to see his paintings. He asked for the price and Emil said, “make an offer.” He sold the paintings for 150 liras, which was enough to rent a furnished room in a house owned by the two sisters of a military prosecutor. These caring people helped Emil a great deal. To demonstrate his gratitude and appreciation, he secretly painted a portrait of the prosecutor. This painting was such a success that the prosecutor gave him his office to use as a studio and supplied him with painting materials.

He feverishly started to paint large, massive compositions. His enormous fantasy didn’t let him rest. Day and night he painted working people, idyllic pastoral landscapes, sensuous nudes, peasants on the field, but his most dramatic theme, was the life of the miner. He went down to the mine for weeks to study the harshness of their lives. He also painted the lagoons of Venice, the tired resting people on the park bench, portraits of Christ and the Crucifixion – and soon enough, he held exhibition after exhibition in more and more prestigious galleries. Inevitably, he began to win award after award. His work was displayed in as many as three to four exhibitions yearly. Respected art-critics wrote about his work. The price of his paintings sold up to 40,000 liras, a far cry from the first 150 liras he received for the first two.

[edit] Life During World War II

Then, in 1942, the war arrived on the Italian front. Amidst the horrors of the war, Emil lost his studio, along with all his possessions, in a bombardment. He spent the next few years in a high mountain village named Asiago. Amazingly, even with the disparity of war and losing everything, his hand never stopped painting. During this period, he created several large compositions, mountain-scenes, landscapes and depictions of the lives of the local people. After returning from a life in the mountains, he started to exhibit his new paintings that he painted during the war. In 1946, he was elected Councilor of Italian Art. However, life wasn’t the same in Italy anymore and he heard much about the great and free country of the United States of America. This time, Italy proved to be too small to house Emil’s work and ambition. In 1956, the same year of the Hungarian Uprising, he decided to move to New York City.

[edit] United States

Emil Lindenfeld was invited to exhibit with Frank Lloyd Wright in the New York Coliseum. He exhibited 150 paintings. Emil Lindenfeld, himself, organized many exhibitions and enriched several American museums with his paintings. During his long career, he tirelessly sought new ways to express himself and his fantasies. In the last phase of his life, his paintings were the perhaps the most revealing of his true self. It came so naturally to him that he often played and sometimes joked with his brushes. It was the most peaceful, happiest and most colorful period of his life.

Emil Lindenfeld died in his home in 1986, surrounded by his beloved paintings and he was buried from his studio in a small, historic cemetery in Bedminster, New Jersey. His doctor and friend, eulogized him saying, “We doctors are teaching patients to die but in Emil’s case I was the student and he was the teacher.”

[edit] Periods of Color

Emil Lindenfeld passed through 16 distinct periods. Scholars cite four distinctive phases: the Essential Phase, the Impressionistic Phase, the Mirage Phase and the Post Humane Phase. Each period is manifested in some different variant of artistic expression. Most significant of which the colors, the dominating ones, change in each period. He had a flamboyant yellow period, he passed through his blue gloomy period, and his vibrant orange period. Emil’s last three phases were: the Impressionistic, the Mirage and the Birth of the Universe.