István Varga Ilosvai was a visual artist born in 1895 in the town of Kunhegyes. Originally a law-student, he attended evening classes at the School of Industrial Drawing in his free time, then attended the Independent School of Károly Kernstok in 1917 under the artistic direction of József Rippl Rónai. He continued his studies from 1917−1922 at the Academy of Fine Arts as a student of Ede Balló. In the summer he also joined the work of the Nagybánya Artists' Colony.

     In 1922 he lived and worked in Kunhegyesen. From 1924−1926 he traveled to Paris and studied at Academie Colarossi where he learned about the free brushwork of the Impressionists and the art of Cézanne and Van Gogh. In 1926 he returned home from Paris and organized his first exhibition in the National Salon in 1928, featuring his earlier Kunság landscapes.

     From 1929−1931 he visit the colony of artists at Nagybánya. There his Fauve-ish canvasses testify to attempts at the application of new styles. He developed his real painter's style in the summers starting in 1932 in Szentendre. This style was characterized by the rearrangement of natural elements, dark colors (umbers and ochres), strong contours and broad brushwork.

     He became a member of the New Artist Union (ÚME) in 1935, the New Society of Artists (KUT) in 1936 and the Society of Szentendre Painters in 1941. In 1942 he exhibited together with Ferenc Medgyessy at Műbarát. He had solo exhibitions at the Ernst Museum  in 1958, 1967, and 1975. His later pictures became more loose and impressionistic. His recurring themes were everyday life, city and streetscapes, small town courtyards, and human figures balancing the compositions.

     He received various awards in his lifetime including the Silver degree of the Order of Merit of Work in 1965, named as Meritorious Artist in 1968, named as Eminent Artist in 1974, awarded a gold degree of the Labor Order of Merit in 1975, and the City of Szentendre Pro Urbe award in 1977.

     The artist is represented in the Hungarian National Gallery, Ferenczy Museum in Szentendre, the Ernst Museum, and the Hungarian Collection of the Salgo Trust for Education.

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