Theodor Jozef Mousson (1887–1946) was one of the significant painters of the 20th century, who, like many other artists of the time, embraced the diverse influences of French art, especially Impressionism. In his family there was a saying that their ancestors had come from France in the 17th century and settled in southern Hungary as millers. Theodor's father, Julius Mousson, was a schoolmaster, cantor and organist in the local church. His mother Josephine, née Pichler, was the daughter of a baker.
In the 1894/1895 school year, Theodor Jozef Mousson sat behind a desk in the Roman Catholic primary school in Högyész near Pécs where he was born. After he finished the school, his father enrolled him in the nearby grammar school in Szekszárd. However, Theodor was not one of the best pupils. In the 1900/1901 school year, he was transferred to the Boys' Secondary School in Szekszárd, where he completed his final two years. In 1902, the young Theodor arrived at the Royal Hungarian State Teacher's Institute in Baj, where it was his piano and violin playing that particularly caught the eye. In 1906, he graduated with teaching qualifications for schools with Hungarian as the language of instruction. In this period, we come across a contradiction of the long-standing belief that he graduated from School of Art in Rajztanoda and the University of Fine Arts in Budapest.
Theodor Jozef Mousson was married three times. In 1910 he was married for the first time to Irena Grund (1886–1924), a native of Zagreb, Croatia. Three children were born to them, two daughters (Edita Maria and Judita Maria) and one son (Viliam Euzéb). In 1923 and 1924, they lost two young children, Lydia Josephine and Martha Maria, who died of meningitis. On 12th December 1924, Theodor Joseph's wife Irene also died, of tuberculosis. Thus, after a time, Theodor Jozef began the search for a soul mate. He found his soul mate in a teacher of Italian origin – Ursula Gajjot (1890–1978), who, after a short acquaintance and without getting to know each other better, he married in 1926. Their stormy marriage, filled with disagreement, frequent quarrels and disputes, ended in divorce in 1930. In 1933 Klara Jolana Irman (1904-1981), a social worker of Hungarian origin, moved to Michalovce. She met the painter Mousson at her lodgings. A year later, on 21st July 1934, they married. Two daughters were born into the marriage, Erika and Katarina. By 1942, the artist was complaining that he was running out of energy. In March 1942, the artist suffered a stroke that affected the entire left-hand side of his body. In 1944, for health reasons, Theodor Jozef Mousson moved to Trenčín to live with his son Viliam. On 6th November 1946, at eight o'clock in the evening, he died. Two days later he was buried in Trenčín cemetery.
The life and works of T.J. Mousson are closely connected to the town of Michalovce, where he worked from 1911. He came to Michalovce when he was offered the position as an art teacher at the local secondary school. He immediately fell in love with Michalovce due to the colourful diversity of the local fruit and vegetable markets. He was carried away by the beauty and variety of the Eastern Slovak costumes. His inner peace came from his meetings with people at Sunday mass, where he often transferred his feelings onto canvas through his paintbrush. One of the strong programmatic themes depicted by Mousson was the market crowded with women in costumes, by vendors, animals and various goods. But he also took pleasure in capturing other events related to the everyday life of Zemplín. In his works, we also encounter themes of everyday work, depictions of work on farms or in the fields. They include both male and female figures in traditional Zemplín costumes.
His work “The Girl in the Farmer՚s Yard” which is a motive of postage stamp depicts a girl feeding hens and a rooster. In the background there is a barn, houses and a church. The whole scene is set in the farmer's yard.
Martin Urban
