Janos Mesaros entered the stage of naïve art in the early 1960s. As a young and talented painter, he became a member of the group of naïve artists “Selo” founded in Novi Bečej by Dragiša Bunjevački. Alongside Bunjevački, one of the most remarkable representatives of naïve art in Serbia, the group also included Milica and Milivoj Mirić, Svetozar Kiselički, Tivadar Košut, and Janos Mesaros.
This fact is essential for understanding Mesaros’s early works. He did not follow the conceptual frameworks of the then modern “schools” or “circles” of naïve art, but was, as Koviljka Smiljković rightly observed, “more influenced by Bunjevački’s attitude and relationship to life and art than by his formation of artistic identity.” In Mesaros’s first paintings, one can clearly see his interest in capturing everyday rural life, while simultaneously striving to balance content and form in search of his own distinct artistic expression.
During the late 1970s and early 1980s, his oeuvre was enriched with unique motifs of Vojvodina landscapes. Fragments of the fertile plain, like patches of grassy and flowery soil, rise into the sky resembling flying carpets. These images became symbols of “pure,” preserved natural beauty. In a poetic way, Mesaros created an apotheosis of the Vojvodina plain. His paintings reveal a subtle dose of painterly surrealism, combined with clarity and a vibrant, ringing color palette, which established the recognizable atmosphere of his art.
The works created at the end of the 20th and beginning of the 21st century also carry a deeper meaning. They reflect the artist’s awareness of ecological challenges and the need to protect the environment, while also holding metaphorical significance. The fragmentation of the landscape can be seen as a premonition of division, separation, and disintegration—echoing the destiny of a society in transition. In their idyllic appearance, these visions even recall the closing scenes of Emir Kusturica’s film “Underground”, revealing striking parallels in the perception of historical events.
A symbolic theme that continuously appears in Mesaros’s work is the horse—deeply rooted in the Vojvodina plain and rural life. Horses in his paintings transcend mere representation: they soar into the sky, hover over farmhouses, pull carts reminiscent of Noah’s Ark, or blend into the greenery of village courtyards. As a symbol, the horse became a distinctive pictorial sign, even a kind of “trademark” of his art. In later works, Mesaros often treated this motif with humor and virtuosity, sometimes reducing it to a lapidary form close to caricature.
It is as if Janos Mesaros, through such imagery, seeks to free viewers from the burden of existential themes, offering instead Arcadian serenity and a refuge from harsh reality. Perhaps within this endeavor lies a naïve yet genuine belief of a devoted artistic dreamer—that art can provide comfort and hope.
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