Sándor Ziffer (May 5, 1880, in

Eger Eger ( , ; ; also known by other #Names and etymology, alternative names) is the county seat of Heves County, and the second largest city in Northern Hungary (after Miskolc). A city with county rights, Eger is best known for Castle of Eger, its ...

– September 8, 1962, in

Baia Mare Baia Mare ( , ; ; ; ) is a Municipiu, city along the Săsar, Săsar River, in northwestern Romania; it is the capital of Maramureș County. The city lies in the region of Maramureș, a subregion of Transylvania. It is situated about from Buchare ...

) was a Hungarian painter characterized by his strong decorative paintings and use of definite contours and colour in his works.

His career path

He studied at the School of Arts in Budapest, then went to the Academy in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

, where he studied with Hans-Joachim Raupp, and then visited the school of

Anton Ažbe Anton Ažbe (30 May 1862 – 5 or 6 August 1905) was a Slovene realist painter and teacher of painting. Ažbe, crippled since birth and orphaned at the age of eight, learned painting as an apprentice to Janez Wolf and at the Academies in Vienn ...

Simon Hollósy Simon Hollósy (2 February 1857 – 8 May 1918) was a Hungarian painter. He was considered one of the greatest Hungarian representatives of 19th-century Naturalism and Realism. Hollósy was not highly productive as an artist and was more im ...

was his master at home from 1904. From 1906, he painted at the artist colony in

Nagybánya Baia Mare ( , ; ; ; ) is a city along the Săsar River, in northwestern Romania; it is the capital of Maramureș County. The city lies in the region of Maramureș, a subregion of Transylvania. It is situated about from Bucharest, from the bord ...

. Meanwhile, he gained experience in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

, (where he encountered forms of

expressionism Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...

which impacted upon his painting),

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

and again in Munich. He also presented his works at exhibitions in these cities. He absorbed the features of

post-Impressionist Post-Impressionism (also spelled Postimpressionism) was a predominantly French art movement that developed roughly between 1886 and 1905, from the last Impressionist exhibition to the birth of Fauvism. Post-Impressionism emerged as a reaction a ...

, then

expressionist Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...

and

cubist Cubism is an early-20th-century avant-garde art movement which began in Paris. It revolutionized painting and the visual arts, and sparked artistic innovations in music, ballet, literature, and architecture. Cubist subjects are analyzed, broke ...

styles. From 1908 to 1911, he was a member of the MIÉNK (OURS - in English) artist group led by

Pál Szinyei Merse Pál Szinyei Merse (4 July 1845, Chminianska Nová Ves, Szinyeújfalu – 2 February 1920, Jarovnice, Jernye) was a Hungarian painter and art educator. Biography He was born into a family of the old nobility who supported the Hungarian Revolu ...

. In 1918, he permanently settled in Nagybánya, where he taught from 1935 to 1945 and corrected the drawings and paintings of painting students. Ziffer was the master of many Hungarian and Romanian painters in Romania, including János Karácsony and Lídia Agricola. Ziffer was not only an excellent painter, but also an excellent

draughtsman A draughtsman (British spelling) or draftsman (American spelling) may refer to: * An architectural drafter, who produced architectural drawings until the late 20th century * An artist who produces drawings that rival or surpass their other types o ...

, some of his paintings have an almost graphic tone, for example the Morgó Valley. His work from 1923, of course he also has graphic works, including Woman with a Cat. Most of the Hungarian artists who stayed in Nagybánya lived in real poverty after the Second World War. Even Sándor Ziffer had a hard time gaining social recognition. It is to the credit of the sculptor Géza Vida that in 1950 the old master was able to receive a personal pension, and in 1954 he was awarded the Order of Merit. In 1957, a collection exhibition of his works was organized in Nagybány and

Cluj Cluj-Napoca ( ; ), or simply Cluj ( , ), is a city in northwestern Romania. It is the second-most populous city in the country and the seat of Cluj County. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest (), Budapest () and Belgrade ( ...

. He died in Nagybánya in 1962, and was laid to rest in Nagybánya cemetery.

His art

He was able to reconcile the modern painting trends of the turn of the century with the

plein air ''En plein air'' (; French for 'outdoors'), or plein-air painting, is the act of painting outdoors. This method contrasts with studio painting or academic rules that might create a predetermined look. The theory of 'En plein air' painting is c ...

traditions of Nagybánya, he never succumbed to epigones, his works were always fresh, colorful, decorative, expressive and rationally thought out. The peak of his creative era falls on the period between the two world wars. Later he had an accident, after the Second World War he could only paint from the window of his studio. Six of his paintings are held in the Hungarian National Gallery.

References

External links and sources

Fine Arts in Hungary
1880 births 1962 deaths People from Eger Academy of Fine Arts, Munich alumni 19th-century Hungarian painters 20th-century Hungarian painters Hungarian male painters 19th-century Hungarian male artists 20th-century Hungarian male artists {{hungary-painter-stub