ננדור קטונה

Nandor Katona (1864-1932), painter, born in Spišská Stará Ves (Szepesófalu), Slovakia (then part of the Austrian Empire). He was a pupil of the painter Baron Laszlo Mednyanszky. His canvas Man at the Fireside was exhibited in Budapest in 1883, although he continued to study art for nine more years at Budapest and Paris, France, showing interest mainly in problems of figure, motion and portraiture. On his return from Paris he went back to his native county of Szepes in the Tatra mountains and painted landscapes there. Twelve of these, exhibited in Budapest in the winter of 1898, won him an award which enabled him to travel to England and Holland. "Autumn Rain" won a prize in Budapest and also an honorable mention in Paris in 1901. The same year he exhibited 140 paintings in an exhibition in Budapest. He also won awards in Budapest (1905), London (1908) and Budapest (1911). His paintings portraying Jews absorbed in prayer combine a pictorial, impressionistic effect with a fine rendition of character. Twelve of his canvases were acquired by the Budapest Museum of Fine Arts.