János Viski (1891-1987) Hungarian, Oil on Canvas. Depicts a herd of wild horses being corralled by a rider with a whip. Signed "Viski J." lower right.

Overall: 31 1/4 x 37 1/4 in.

Sight: 21 1/2 x 27 1/2 in.

#3497 . 

János Viski (written Viski János in the native name order) was born in 1891 in Szokolya, Hungary. From a young age he was interested in painting, working primarily in oils and joining the Kecskemét Artists Colony created by Béla Iványi-Grünwald (1867-1940). He developed an affinity for Impressionism and the plein air style of painting, and left the colony after a year to study under Tivadar Zemplényi at the Hungarian University of Fine Arts. He held his first exhibition in 1913, but when World War I broke out Viski fled Europe for South America, traveling extensively in Peru, Brazil, and Argentina and painting gauchos and their horses. These became his most recognizable works, with many sold to private collections throughout South America and winding up in North American exhibitions as well due to their perceived “Wild West” influence. In 1936 he was awarded the Grand Prix at the Salon des Beaux Arts in Paris, but returned to South America a few years later as the Second World War loomed. He went by the name Jean in the 1940s and 50s to distance himself from his European roots, but eventually returned to Hungary at some point. Although some sources suggest he passed away in the 1960s, this is likely due to conflating him with the Hungarian composer, pianist, and teacher of the same name (1906-1961). Most sources agree Viski died in 1987 in Budapest, Hungary, still painting, teaching, and working with the remnants of the New Economic Mechanism to encourage artistic freedom and the end of “Goulash Communism.”

Small spots throughout.