The Strange, Dark World of Zsolt Bodoni

Zsolt Bodoni (1975- ) is a Budapest-based painter who creates dark (usually), vaguely Surrealistic scenes combining nearly realistic drawing with nearly abstract settings. He is basically hinting at things, but includes enough detail in a painting to make viewers such as me very interested in what he has going on.

A biographical note is here. It states: "Born in Élesd, Romania in 1975, Zsolt Bodoni received his MFA from the Hungarian Academy of Fine Arts in Budapest, Hungary." I should point out that he comes from a place in northern Romania close to the eastern border of Hungary, a zone where ethnic Hungarians had lived for centuries.

Bodoni usually paints in acrylics and oil, but sometimes overpaints photographs with acrylics. Many of his paintings are large, between one or two meters on their longest side.

Gallery

Ignis Fatuus - 2011

In Bloom - 2012

Horses - 2012

Untitled - 2014
Some of Bodoni's more recent paintings are brighter.

Untitled - 2014
Another brighter, recent work.

The Room - 2012

Szent Istvan II - 2010
Saint Stephen is the name of this imaginary aircraft carrier.

Merlin - 2010
The Merlin was a World War 2 vintage V-12 aircraft motor designed and built by Rolls-Royce.

Propeller - 2010
Rear view of a Merlin with its propeller.

Stalin's Head - 2008

Stalin's Boots - 2009