Creation of a Portrait of Endre Bartos

1994 Phases of a portrait painting

Friends gathered to experience an event during which Endre brings a portrait of a woman to life. A good mood prevails and when the sun goes down through the huge window in the southwest, the miracle -painting - begins.  Endre sits between the window and the model. A beautiful, soft light shines on the easel of a work palette.

There is just enough light on the model's face to capture the subtleties of the features and skin tones, creating the person's "distinctive" face. The air is filled with a thick smell of paint, a beautiful, full-bodied fragrance.  Endre's greatest treasures are oil paints and, simultaneously the source of his greatest poverty, as he can never have enough of them.  With a long-handled, short haired brush Endre begins to paint. His body twists, stretches and rises high on the chair.  Just one last penetrating look at the model ,and the features of the face to be are created with short, quick brush strokes. It only takes a few moments!

The friends are silent and observe in astonishment the artist at work. They are fascinated, with an indescribable, respectful curiosity on their faces. Endre is painting now, obsessively and passionately. He blurs the facial features of the model, appling dense color. He snaps back and forth with the brush for a moment, adds a little here and there, changes it and outlines the boundaries for a wild, powerful pace. He casually talks to himself as the tension, or let's say joy, envelops the room.

         The friends already dare to say: "Stop it, Endre, the picture is done!" But the painter's vision is far from complete: he throws the brush away and grabs the spatula and strokes the portrait with hasty movements. Admiration and amazement curse through the audience, as the face, which is already recognizable and visible, begins to disappear behind the abundance of colors. The previously marked portrait borders, between the model and the surroundings, are blurred again and sink helplessly as Endre returns to the face and draws a clear contour between the model and the range of colors.

         The friends easier breathe again, and at the same time, there is shocked silence. It's like before sunrise: there is nothing, no time, no place, just the miracle that was just born.

         An hour had barely passed. It looks like the portrait is now done. But Endre moves away from the picture - leans back and looks at the model several times. He is looking for the soul of the person he is painting. He finds it and brings it to the eyes with fine, white threads. The portrait is now alive!

         Endre suddenly gets up, and seemingly shyly leaves the studio without a word. The friends go closer to the portrait, then look at it from a distance, comparing it to the model, hug each other. Some cry because they have no strength left to experience great moments. It is wonderful to shed tears of joy.

         After a while Endre comes back to the studio, he takes a drink and seems almost embarrassed.  Most of the time he is happy and subdued when he has finished painting a picture. It is his nature: being happy and at peice!

         But now he cannot get rid of the inner tension. Neither a drink nor a friend can help. He sits down again at the easel, grabs the brush and begins to paint. His last energy flows into another  portrait sketch.