Artwork

Vânătoare în Bărăgan

Vânătoare în Bărăgan, by Carol Pop de Szathmári, 1850
Vânătoare în Bărăgan, by Carol Pop de Szathmári, 1850

Vânătoare în Bărăgan is a print by Carol Pop de Szathmári. It dates from 1850 and is held in the collection of the National Museum of Art of Romania.

About this work

Overview

Created circa 1850, *Vânătoare în Bărăgan* is an image by Carol Szathmári, a Transylvanian Hungarian artist who worked in Bucharest. The work records a hunting expedition across the Bărăgan plain in southern Romania, presenting a tranquil, expansive landscape bathed in the light of a setting sun.

Subject & Meaning

The composition centers on a covered wagon drawn by two horses moving through a flat, arid terrain. Sparse patches of water and distant wagons punctuate the horizon, suggesting a communal hunt that blends human activity with the vastness of the steppe, emphasizing the relationship between people and the open land.

Technique & Style

Szathmári employs soft gradations of light and shadow to model the sky and the wagon, creating a subtle chiaroscuro effect that softens edges and conveys atmospheric depth. The muted palette of orange‑pink twilight and earth tones reinforces the calm, distant mood of the scene.

History & Provenance

Although Szathmári is best known for his pioneering photography, including combat images from the Crimean War, he also produced paintings and lithographs. This work, executed around the mid‑nineteenth century, reflects his broader artistic practice and remains documented as part of his oeuvre in Romanian art collections.

Artist & collection

Portrait of Carol Pop de Szathmári

Artist

Carol Pop de Szathmári

Carol Szathmari (Romanian: Carol Popp de Szathmari, Hungarian: Szathmáry Pap Károly; 11 January 1812, Kolozsvár – 3 July 1887, Bucharest) was a Romanian painter, lithographer, and photographer of Transylvanian Hungarian…