Markó, Károly the elder Italian landscape with double rainbow

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During his lifeperiod the older Markó's followed the traditions of historical and landscape painting from the 17th and 18th centuries. Accordingly, in his landscapes, he captured biblical, mythological, and idyllic everyday scenes. The "Italian landscape with double rainbow" oil on canvas dated 1841 also captures a traditional scene. We see a young woman carrying a basket of clothes on her head with her little daughter helping to carry the canvases for her. Maybe they are coming from washing the clodes from the river what we can see on the painting. They walk together on the bumpy road that crosses a small bridge and then turns and disappears. Next to the footpath lined with trees and bushes and a huge rock rises up, where a small group of people and animals hid in its cave-like recess from the rain, which had moved away in the meantime. A shepherd in a cloak is already leading his goats, which is hopping among the stones.

The most beautiful motif of the artwork, is the rainbow with bright colors, what arch bends towards the pink, clearing sky and projected onto the figure of the shepherd. It is a rare phenomenon that there is also a pair that curves between the still dark clouds. The double rainbow is almost unique motive is in Hungarian art. Károly Markó faithfully captures the wonderful optical phenomenon known as a symbol of peace, which soon dissipates. But until then, it fills the composition with light and serenity, this peaceful picture of life. The "Italian landscape with double rainbow" is an important and outstanding artwork of the master's oeuvre. His painting with a classicist approach reflects the calm, peaceful atmosphere after the dark clouds that have already passed in the background.

The painting was previously also listed in the collection of the German pharmacist, inventor and entrepreneur Rudolf August Oetker (1916-2007) and is a real museal Rarity.

Fabian Takáts