Emerik Feješ (Serbian Cyrillic: Емерик Фејеш; born in Osijek on November 3, 1904 – passed away in Novi Sad on July 9, 1969) was a distinguished painter and a prominent figure in Serbian Naïve art. His artistic journey began with depictions of nudes, portraits, still life, and scenes from suburban life. Transitioning to a focus on urban scenes in 1954, he achieved his first exhibition in 1955, followed by an independent show in 1956. Feješ emerged as a pioneer of urban landscape within the realm of naïve and outsider art in the South Slavic region. While he exercised immense freedom in his presentation and stylization, Feješ' compositions remained rooted in the explicit and recognizable realm. His approach involved using black and white postcards featuring monumental buildings as references, which he meticulously copied using carbon paper and then enlarged. This process was infused with elements from his own imagination. The appearance and coloring of structures took a backseat to his imaginative creativity, often diverging from the original. His vibrant scenes depicted towns along the Adriatic Coast, North Sea, England, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, France, India, and more. Feješ employed a unique technique, utilizing a frieze of dominoes to define arches and architraves, substituting scattered buttons for oculi, showcasing his innovative perspective. His intense desire to infuse reality with beauty and color led him to utilize warm, resonant, and fauvist-inspired vibrant hues. Abandoning traditional narrative elements, he embraced abstract forms, geometrical inclinations, strong rhythms, and stylized presentations. This emphasis on flatness and ornamentation underscored his inherently modern sensibility. Feješ' focus on shapes and colors rather than figures imbued his works with a sense of vibrant energy akin to boogie-woogie dance. His creations, characterized by rhapsodic arrangements of forms and hues, offered a unique escape. Feješ' existence appeared solitary, frail, and hidden within the machinery of mainstream life. He navigated his own world, a realm of childhood innocence characterized by playful lines and colors. While not widely acclaimed during his lifetime, Feješ' artistic significance gradually gained recognition in later years. Today, he stands as a world-class artist, his legacy etched into the annals of art history.

Emerik Feješ - Wikipedia