Together with nature, we too awaken: spring festivals open, May Day fairs are built, blankets are spread out on the grass – we lie down and enjoy the sunshine. Spring is the celebration of life every year – and with this exhibition, through the works of fine artists, we create a subjective calendar of spring.

1. 

Let us begin at the very start. Although increasingly rare, if we have had a winter with snow that lingered, then the first emotional threshold between winter and spring is perhaps that moment when the snow cover begins to melt, and the first snowdrops and winter aconites appear – or simply the yellowed, frost-burnt blades of grass from last autumn, as in Lajos Kunffy’s landscape Snowmelt.

Lajos Kunffy – Snowmelt (1926) – Rippl-Rónai Museum CC BY

2. 

There are those first few days or weeks when spring is still so early that winter lingers in the air, exhaling its cold from frost-hollowed valleys and from the shaded corners of cities where no sunlight has reached for months. This sensation is evoked by János Réti’s pastel Spring at the Foot of the Avas Hill.

János Réti – Spring at the Foot of the Avas Hill – Herman Ottó Museum CC BY-NC-ND

3. 

The first gentle sunbeams arrive – no longer wintry and cold, but warm enough to tempt us outdoors for an afternoon walk in the park, perhaps even with a slightly lighter coat. 

György Ruzicskay – Spring in the Grove – Rippl-Rónai Museum CC BY

4. 

The sight of the first flowering tree is also a defining early-spring experience – something we can see in the work of János Lóránt. Among the earliest flowering fruit trees is the almond. At the very first warm days, its blossoms open – risking damage from late frosts that may harm its future harvest.

János Lóránt – Flowering Trees (1962) – Rippl-Rónai Museum CC BY

5. 

As the hours of sunlight increase, the gardens, too, must be awakened. Work has to start in time if we want a richly yielding or beautifully blooming garden. For regular gardeners, spring is one of the most beloved seasons; after the confinement of winter, a bit of hoeing does good not only for the body but also for the mind.

József Rippl-Rónai – Spring Work – Rippl-Rónai Museum CC BY

6. 

Easter is the greatest feast of Christianity. Beyond its religious aspect, for many it is also a celebration of the arrival of spring. A movable feast, it begins on the Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox – which may fall in March or April. 

János Thorma – Blessing of the Easter Food – Thorma János Museum CC BY-NC-ND

7. 

Magnolias, or lily trees, bloom from late March to mid-May, but before their leaves unfold. These flowering trees can be spectacular, especially when encountered as large specimens in castle gardens, old villa districts, or urban parks. 

Béla Csengery – Magnolias – Private collection of Róbert Capári CC BY-NC-ND

8. 

Cherry blossom has its own cult. Not primarily here, but in Japan it is a spring festival of joy. The Sakura festival is tied to a legend: each spring, the goddess of Mount Fuji revives the cherry trees, adorning Japan’s most sacred mountain with pink blossoms. The blooming and the falling of the petals became the chief symbols of rebirth and transience, while the cherry blossom itself grew into Japan’s national emblem and an essential part of Japanese identity.

Taikan Yokoyama – Color Ink Drawing (1934) – Déri Múzeum CC BY

9. 

With the arrival of May – and if the weather permits, already on May 1st, the day of labor – the first May Day picnics and festivals are held. By definition, a majális is an open-air social gathering, often with dancing; more broadly, it refers to a cheerful, lively celebration – ideally both at once.

Ernő Gebauer – May Day – Rippl-Rónai Museum CC BY

10. 

Artúr Tölgyessy’s Flowerbed conjures the stolen moments we should occasionally allow ourselves: sitting on a bench, listening to birdsong, feeling the gentle touch of the spring breeze, focusing only on the flowers and the present moment around us. To rest like this is a decidedly good thing.

Artúr Tölgyessy – Flowerbed – Rippl-Rónai Museum CC BY

11. 

The endless poppy fields of mid-May already carry the promise of summer – this flower, often called the “queen of wildflowers,” blooms from May to the end of July. 

Béla Csengery – Poppies – Private collection of Róbert Capári CC BY-NC-ND

12. 

The funfairs and traveling circuses appearing on the edges of towns, as well as village fairs, signal the end of spring, the beginning of summer, and with it the approach of the holiday season.

Lajos Raksányi – Circus and Carousel (1973) – Rippl-Rónai Museum CC BY

By this time, the earlier blossoms have already turned into fruits, the leaves of the trees shift into a deep green – and with the arrival of summer, new wonders begin. 

 KF

 translated by László Gönczi

Sources & Inspirations:

• A tavasz 15 pillanata - Magyar Nemzeti Galéria
• Virágoznak a mandulafák – turistamagazin.hu
• Ők a legszebb kora tavasszal virágzó fák és cserjék – edenkert.hu
• Cseresznyevirágzás: az újjászületés és elmúlás ünnepe – wmn.hu
• Majális – A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára, arcanum.hu