József Koszta (Brassov, 27 March 1861 – Budapest, 29 July 1949) started his study of painting in the School of Decorative Arts and then continued at the Academy in Munich. After returning home he became a student of the Benczúr Gyula School of Masters being taught by famous painters – Károly Lotz and Bertalan Székely. After several awards and exhibitions between 1902-1903 he worked in Nagybánya. He travelled abroad to study to Paris, Rome and the Netherlands. After returning home he became a member of the Szolnok Artist Colony. Due to his withdrawn nature he lived and worked in a cottage near to Szentes for nearly 30 years. In 1937 he was made an honorary member of the Szinyei Merse Pál Association. His works mainly dealt with peasant life and landscape of the Great Plain. He made strong use of the possibilities provided by light and shadow, he also used strongly toned colours. His form of depiction was mainly characteristic of the dramatic, and of expressive realism. The bulk of his work included portraits, still life and landscapes. He received the Kossuth Award in 1948. He left his pictures to the Szentes museum, which took on his name in gratitude.