Félix Bódog Widder

Félix Bódog Widder (Arad, 28 April 1874 – 26 September 1939) was a Hungarian painter, graphic designer and teacher associated with Impressionism. He is of interest chiefly as a witness to early twentieth-century Hungarian painting, when academic inheritance and influences from Paris and Munich existed side by side.

Born in Arad, he studied in Paris and Munich, two cities that set the tone for European painting in those years. Back in Hungary, he worked as a painter, graphic artist and teacher. His output includes rural scenes and landscapes of his country, such as works titled Dömsöd, Mátrafüred and Nógrádverőce, as well as intimate portraits such as Portrait of My Wife (1916) and Young Woman (1902). He is said to have prepared his own paints by hand, which suggests a careful attention to materials.

His daughter Magda Widder married the poet Béla Vihar, linking him to the literary circle of his time, although his importance rests on painting. His legacy is tied mainly to the spread of Impressionism in Hungary and to his work as a teacher of younger artists.