Pod grúňom

Zolo Palugyay prints bring the villages and mountains of central Slovakia into your home: cottages under heavy roofs, birch groves and poplars, the peak of Kriváň, and girls in bright headscarves. Palugyay was one of the founding painters of modern Slovak art, mixing expressionism with a deep feeling for the countryside. Our collection of fine art prints covers his paintings, pastels, watercolours and drawings.

About Zolo Palugyay

Zoltán "Zolo" Palugyay was born on 9 November 1898 in Bodice, now part of Liptovský Mikuláš, into a family of poor gentry. Called up at 18, he began painting as a soldier on the Italian front in the First World War.

He studied in Budapest (1919–20) and Kraków (1920–21), spent time in Berlin and Hamburg, and from 1924 to 1926 trained in Munich at the private school of the avant-garde teacher Hans Hofmann. In 1926 he returned to Slovakia and the family manor in Bodice.

Back home he worked closely with the painters Janko Alexy and Miloš Alexander Bazovský, travelling with them through Turiec, Orava, Horehronie and Liptov to paint the heart of the country. In September 1935 he set out on a hike in the Low Tatras and disappeared near the Ďumbier hut; his remains were found the following summer.

Style and Subjects

Palugyay's central subject was the village cottage, which he painted again and again in every season and light, as a symbol of the life and fate of ordinary people. Around it he gathered country figures, village corners, panoramas and lone trees.

His style moves between two poles: robust, almost Cubist forms on one side, and a decorative, dreamlike manner close to Art Nouveau on the other. He admired Ladislav Mednyánszky and learned from German Expressionism, and his still lifes are counted among the finest made in Slovakia.

Famous Works

• Landscape with Flowers (Nirvana) (1930), Slovak National Gallery, Bratislava. His best-known painting, a dreamlike landscape of flowers.
• Autumn Work (Potato Digging) (1934), Slovak National Gallery, Bratislava. A late synthesis of his years with Alexy and Bazovský.
• Village Girl in a Red Scarf (1931), Slovak National Gallery, Bratislava. A country girl in a bright headscarf.
• Girl in White with Factory Chimneys and Flowers (1932), Slovak National Gallery, Bratislava. Country and industry meet in one portrait.
• Kriváň (1925), Slovak National Gallery, Bratislava. Slovakia's best-loved mountain peak.
• Liptov Landscape with Trees (1924), Slovak National Gallery, Bratislava. His home region from his Munich years.
• Autumn Still Life (1931), Slovak National Gallery, Bratislava. One of his celebrated still lifes.

Decorating with Palugyay Prints

Palugyay's cottages and Liptov landscapes suit a living room, bedroom or country-style kitchen, especially with natural wood, linen and earthy colours. His mountain views, such as Kriváň, look good in a cabin or a hallway.

The portraits of village girls in red and white scarves bring warmth and colour to a dining room or reading corner, and his still lifes are a natural choice for a kitchen or breakfast room. Use simple wooden or black frames.

FAQ

Who was Zolo Palugyay?

Zoltán "Zolo" Palugyay (1898–1935) was a Slovak painter from Liptov, one of the founders of modern Slovak painting.

What art movement was Palugyay part of?

He belonged to the first generation of Slovak modernists. His work draws on Expressionism, Cubist form and Art Nouveau decoration, rooted in the landscape and villages of central Slovakia.

What is Palugyay's most famous painting?

Landscape with Flowers, also called Nirvana (1930), in the Slovak National Gallery, is his best-known work.

Where can I see Palugyay's work?

The Slovak National Gallery in Bratislava holds a large collection of his paintings and drawings, the source of most of our prints.

How did Zolo Palugyay die?

In September 1935 he left the Štefánik hut on Ďumbier in the Low Tatras for a hike and went missing. His remains were found below a rocky cliff in July 1936.

Related Artists

• Ladislav Mednyánszky: the painter whose work he most admired
• Mikuláš Galanda: fellow founder of modern Slovak art
• Arnold Peter Weisz-Kubínčan: Slovak painter of the same generation
• Gustáv Mallý: Slovak painter of village life in the same years
• Jozef Hanula: Slovak painter of the older generation