Brooklyn Museum: European Art: The Critic

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The Critic

A self-taught artist, Tihanyi combined the fragmentation of Analytical Cubism and the psychological intensity of Expressionism in his portraits. This figure has been identified as a particular individual—Andor Halasi, a literary critic Tihanyi knew well—yet the sitter’s sharply rendered features almost suggest a physical type for the profession, with a high, intellectual forehead, alert eyes, long nose, and pinched mouth. Tihanyi emphasizes the sitter’s pronounced bone structure with a subtle play of light and shadow indicating sharp protrusions and deep hollows. The angular wings of the subject’s starched collar and the knot of his tie further echo his pointed features.

Artist: Lajos Tihanyi, Hungarian, 1885-1938
Medium: Oil on canvas
Place Made: Hungary
Dates: 1916
Dimensions: 20 1/8 x 16 3/8 in. (51.1 x 41.6 cm)
Signature: Signed and dated lower left: "Tihanyi L./1916"
Collections: European Art
Museum Location: This item is on view in Beaux-Arts Court, North, 3rd Floor
Accession Number: 29.1302
Credit Line: Gift of the Right Reverend John Torok, D.D.
Image: Overall, 29.1302_acetate_bw.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph