oil, board, 59×77 cm
1972

Evening at the székelys

The painting was made in 1972.
Imre Égerházi was happy to take part in thematic competitions, including a noble creative competition about Béla Bartók in 1972. He chose Evening at the Székelys, a work of this genius composers’ for this competition. The choice of theme was also truly fortunate because in the early 1970s the painter was saturated with his experiences in Transylvania, especially with the Székely and Csángó landscapes, people, and motifs.
The painting is characterized by the brownish ’Égerházi colors’ used in the 70s, as well as the strong black contouring that has dominated since the late 60s.
This oil painting is an outstanding artwork by Imre Égerházi, from the first half of the 1970s, in terms of its theme, editing and quality altogether.

Imre Égerházi was constantly listening to music while painting. He made numerous comments about the experience of listening to music has influenced him many times during working on a painting, sometimes almost like his hands were guided by these melodies. The musical composition Evening at the Székelys also made a deep impression on him and as a result the full character of the painting was formed.

Thirty years later, the artist’s son, Attila Égerházi, reversed the creative process, as he and his band wrote music for the album Sheafs Are Dancing, inspired by the paintings. The concept and the album were remarkably successful, which launched the international career of the world music / jazz fusion band Djabe.
By chance, the band once again made an album with a similar concept in 2020, but this time the base motivation was provided by Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett. He and his wife, Jo, wrote lyrics for the 2020 Djabe studio album while looking at Imre Égerházi’s painting titled Tales, Legends and composing the poem The Magic Stag.

The painting is the property of Attila Égerházi.