‘HOUSES IN THE HILLS’ BY STEFAN LÖKÖS MIXED MEDIA LANDSCAPE ON PAPER

A beautiful 1960s era post cubist semi-abstract mixed-media painting of architectural structures in a hilly environment painted in shades of bluish-gray, ochre, black and white by Hungarian/American artist Stefan Lokos.  Titled 'Houses in The Hills', the work is a mixture of watercolor, tempera, and gouache on paper with a wood backing.  It is signed 'Lokos at the lower right and is presented in a wooden frame with a gold finish. Sight: 24" H x 55" W; Frame:30" H x 60.5" W].

STEFAN LÖKÖS (1913-1994) was born in Budapest, Hungary at the tail end of the Belle Époque just as the first world war was on the verge of ravaging Europe, but by the time he entered adolescence, the war had ended - briefly - and the respite between calamities was to be a period of tremendous exuberance and creativity.   It was against this backdrop of peace and abundance that the young Lökös began to express his creativity in the form of music.  He was to become quite an accomplished violinist, as well as a great visual artist. He studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Budapest from 1933 to 1937, Pazmany University from 1937 to 1939, the City Music Academy in Budapest from 1940 to 1942, and the Law Academy in Miskolc, also from 1940-1942.  Ironically he finished up his schooling just in time to be conscripted into the German army, as two years earlier, Hungary, hoping for preferential economic treatment, and eager for future support to acquire the remainder of Transylvania,  had joined the Axis Powers in an alliance to fight the Communists. Three years after his conscription, Lökös was captured by the Russians and put into a concentration camp in Odessa. There he used his wits and his skills to paint portraits for the officers and play his violin for them during their off-hours. This not only gave him a special rapport with his captors but an opportunity to plan and execute an escape which led him to Vienna where he met his wife, Ingé. Inge had made her way over the mountains from war-torn Germany to Vienna to finally realize her dream of studying art. The couple soon married and began several years on the run in refugee camps in Italy, and Syria, finally settling in Lebanon where Stefan's paintings had a significant impact in aiding Lebanon's acceptance of modern art. Through all of this time, the dream of both Stefan and Inge remained to emigrate to the United States of America, and In 1954 their dream was realized.  They established themselves in Woodstock, New York where Stefan gained much popularity for his abstract art and founded the successful Studio School and Gallery for the training of art teachers.  He gave many lectures on art and conducted painting demonstrations at universities. His semi-abstract style, which later included cubist elements, was inspired by the Rocky Mountains and the Sierras.  In 1967, Ingé and Stefan visited Puerto Vallarta and fell in love with everything about it. Both in New York and Puerto Vallarta, Stefan's fame grew. He never gave up on his violin and frequently played concerts for friends and family. Sustained by his art, he enjoyed a successful career, with his works represented in many international private collections, universities, and museums around the world.