Desired Masterpiece

Hungarian National Gallery’s exhibition cataloguededicated to the work of Béla Gruber (1936–1963) who was a prominent talent,who died very young, yet his innovative creative methods had a significantimpact on his contemporaries. Gruber’s figurative works combined varioustechniques ranging from charcoal drawings to collages and experiments with oilpainting. His approach to form was referred to as „constructive,” which meantsimplifying forms and compositions into reductive, geometric shapes. He usedvibrant colours, and with his palette and brushwork, he created a distinctivestyle.  This publication summarizes theartist’s painting aspirations, incorporating all the motifs that characterizedhis career: still lifes, boat motifs, the placement of human figures incompositions, unique painting techniques, the referential use of art historyalbums, and his characteristic colour palette.