Balasz Wanyi (1943) - Perenstilleven

Refined, realistically executed still life with a white bowl in which a large yellow pear and red cherries are arranged. On the right side of the tabletop lies a second pear, while a few scattered cherries and a fallen leaf extend the composition toward the foreground. The slender stems, branch, and leaves provide a lively line of movement above the compact fruit arrangement.

Characteristic is the meticulous suggestion of texture and surfaces: the glossy skin of the cherries, the irregularities and color variations of the pears, the matte white of the bowl, and the venation of the leaves are carefully distinguished. A strongly directed light from the left models the fruits and casts clear cast shadows across the tabletop. The background transitions from light gray-beige to deep reddish-brown, creating a pronounced spatial effect. The depiction thus aligns with Wányi’s documented, very finely painted realistic still lifes with fruit.

Oil painting, 30 × 24 cm, signed lower right with B.W. The reverse also bears a scratched inscription with the initials B.W. The work is offered in a gold-colored frame of about 49 × 43 cm.

Artist biography

Balázs Wányi was born in 1943 in Budapest. He initially studied architecture at the Technical University of Budapest before turning to painting. The precision of that education is evident in his highly exact drawing and painting style. During a prolonged stay in England, Wányi was active within the London gallery circuit; later he returned to Budapest. His oeuvre concentrates largely on finely worked still lifes, often with fruit and everyday objects against restrained backgrounds. He combines almost hyperrealistic detailing with classical composition and strongly controlled light.