oil, board, 70×80 cm
1978

The World of Krúdy I.

The painting The World of Krúdy 1. was created in 1978. Imre Égerházi was happy to take part in thematic art competitions, in this case the 1978 the noble creative competition related to Krúdy. Two works were made for the painting competition, the other is related to A vörös postakocsi (The red mail coach), a novel by Gyula Krúdy.
The painting is characterized by the brownish and ocher tones of the late 70s, as well as the strong black contouring, used since the late 60s, with the latter already getting thinner here, just to completely disappear from the paintings of Égerházi in the 80s. The artist combines the characteristic figures of Krúdy’s novels with the elements of the environment of the city of Buda, depicted in the poet’s writings in his unique artistic style.
The World of Krúdy 1. oil painting is an outstanding art piece of the second half of the 1970s, in terms of its theme, editing and quality. It is no coincidence that the artist selected it for the 100 paintings he donated to his hometown, Hajdúhadház, with the aim of later presenting his oeuvre in a complete, comprehensive whole.
Unfortunately, the other Krúdy piece, picturing the red mail coach, was destroyed. It was originally exhibited at the entrance of the Krúdy restaurant in Debrecen. Imre Égerházi received many commissions to decorate restaurants and other venues in Debrecen. Some of the most important ones are: Hotel Aranybika, Cívis Hotel, Hotel Délibáb (Hajdúszoboszló), Sumen restaurant, Klaipeda restaurant, Ibolya espresso, Borsodi pub, and many more.
Fortunately, the works exhibited in them have been preserved for posterity even after the closure of these venues. Sadly, when remodeling the Krúdy restaurant, the new owner did not consider it important to save that painting.

The painting is currently owned by the city of Hajdúhadház and in the collection of the Imre Égerházi Memorial House.