Autumn Flight of Wild Geese

József Pálfy was born on 18 March 1864 in Kisjenő–Fesetpuszta, Hungary, and passed away on 1 October 1934 in Debrecen. He was a Hungarian painter and drawing teacher, celebrated for his portraits and evocative landscapes of the Hungarian Great Plain, particularly the Hortobágy region. Between 1886 and 1890, he studied in Vienna and at the Mintarajziskola in Budapest, the predecessor of today’s Hungarian University of Fine Arts, where he trained in the late 19th-century Central European realist tradition.

After completing his studies, Pálfy worked as a drawing teacher in Sümeg and later settled permanently in Debrecen. From 1894 onward, he regularly exhibited his works. His paintings capture both the vastness of the puszta landscape and scenes of rural life, often depicting waterfowl, pastoral views, and the atmospheric character of the Hungarian plain. In addition to his native landscapes, he also painted Mediterranean scenes, reflecting his interest in southern environments.

Pálfy was the son of Pálfy Alajos and Ida Gergely, and he was married to Malvin Takách (1871–1948). Among his notable works are Urbenici Street (1897), Hortobágy (1900), Mediterranean Coastal Town (1902), Lakeside with Wild Ducks (1908), Mediterranean Market (1914), Wild Geese on the Hortobágy (1922), and Southern Street.

He is regarded as a significant representative of late 19th- and early 20th-century Hungarian landscape and genre painting, particularly for his visual documentation of the Hortobágy. A legacy exhibition of his works was held at the Déri Museum in Debrecen in 1935. His paintings continue to be appreciated by notable art collectors worldwide.