Czene, Béla Girl in green dress

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We know several creative periods of Béla Czene's art, who not only lived to a long life, but was also active in his last years. In any period, he was interested different topics, which he immortalized in different styles. Czene became a painter under the patronate of Gyula Rudnay, initially followed the direction of the Roman school, drawing from the classical traditions of the Renaissance, following the art of Leonardo, Ghirlandaio, and Greco. After the Second World War his attachment to the Roman school closed and he was inspired by the everyday life.

Although the main line of his artwork is the nude paintings, the "Girl in Green Dress" is an exception. Czene's model sits in profile with cross-legged on a high-backed, blue-upholstered chair. With her skirt pulled up, she shows even more of her long thighs. The red-haired young girl sits as a model with a stiff, straight waist, her gaze is directed to the side towards the patterned curtain hanging in the background.

Her frozen immobility and classic face radiate a kind of timelessness. Quoting the hungarian famous director Péter Gothár's film it is like when "Time stops". The lady of Czene's composition, which is associated with the Roman school, is a modern, somewhat idiosyncratic embodiment of eternal female beauty. Her  classic pose contrasts strangely with her open flirtatiousness, which makes Czene's painting modern.