KRISZTIÁN TEJFEL

Clouds I’ve Never Seen Before No. 3

In my latest series, I deconstruct the world of 18th-century Rococo picnics. Here, too, I explore the relationship between humans and nature, but through historical traces that create an intriguing dialogue with our present. Among other things, I break down the compositions of Fragonard and Watteau into their constituent elements. As always, I seek to capture a pure atmosphere, placing the viewer in a space where they can let go of everything they no longer wish to carry with them. It is fascinating to see that, after all this time, we continue to struggle with the same issues. People of that era escaped into nature to find relief from rigid court etiquette and social constraints. Today, we seek the same kind of retreat, only the pressures have changed. Through my paintings, I create this refuge: a timeless space for slow contemplation and lingering, beyond the demands of time.

“The divertissement”, Picnic 4 Acrylic on linen 105x130 cm

"All that I can draw from this nature"

100x80cm, linen

I am currently working on a series that, compared to my usual style, requires a richer palette to capture the world of opulence and 'kitsch' in the best sense of the word. I remain focused on the relationship between humanity and nature, but this time I’m building more theatrical, detailed environments on my canvases. Lately, I’ve been looking closely at 17th and 18th-century French painting, specifically the world of the fête champêtre and the aesthetics behind how these gatherings are composed. In these paintings, nothing 'special' is happening, yet everything is slightly heightened. And above all, there is time. The fête champêtre 'wasted' time on atmosphere, and I find that particularly captivating. Today, we tend to use nature. We spend less time in it, driven by goals, movement, and fragmented attention. That sense of poised, slightly elevated presence that felt so natural in those paintings is largely gone. 'Picnic' emerges from processing these tensions; it is born from the absence of that somewhat elitist and idealized attitude: the ability to turn anything into a celebration.

"Picnic", 50x40cm, 2026

The fête champêtre originally referred to a refined aristocratic outdoor social gathering in 18th-century France. Although set in a “rural” or pastoral environment, it was not spontaneous or rustic, but a carefully composed form of leisure, typically held in gardens or landscaped parks.

It was a social occasion in which guests conversed, listened to music, and enjoyed each other’s company in an atmosphere that simulated natural simplicity while maintaining full refinement and social elegance.

“..the silence of imperfect, beautiful wounds..”

“..the silence of imperfect, beautiful wounds..”

Clouds I’ve Never Seen Before

Acrylic on linen 40 X 50 CM, 2026

Petals

Untitled diary 41, Falling

Untitled Diary 40, 210 cm x 130 cm

Somewhere I once read that Komorebi (the sunlight filtering through the leaves of trees – the Japanese have a special word for it, which does not exist elsewhere) is, for the everyday Japanese person, like the scent of freshly washed clothes in summer or sunlight streaming through a café window. It doesn’t “mean” anything – it simply is. Nothing describes better what is missing in our contemporary society and what I aim to convey through my work.