Nicolae Grigorescu (May 15, 1838—July 21, 1907) was one of the founders of modern Romanian painting.
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Description
NICOLAE GRIGORESCU: 1838-1907 Nicolae Grigorescu, one of Romania's most famous painters, fits right between Corot and Manet, his art serving as the link between the great lansdcape painters of the early 19th century and the impressionist of the 20th century. Although Grigorescu was very close to the French artist of the late 19th century, he resisted their influence and developed his own unique style.
Until Grigorescu, the general approach to painting was to render nature in its general contours and to capture changes in light and atmospheric conditions. The Impressionists favored contrast between light and shadow, and obtained their desired effects by oairing diverse spots of color. Out of this blending, the eye perceives general harmony from a certain distance. Grigorescu broke away from this tradition and promoted a new technique that introduced light even in shadow. Through a very creative approach, Grigorescu managed to solve the impressionists' blending problem by mixing his colors on the palette, then setting on canvas the impression of colors already combined, as we see them in nature. With this style, Grigorescu's paintings acquired fluidity, and his landscape became more striking than those of his colleagues. Grigorescu had a passion for observation and the gift of perceiving proportions beyound the surface of shapes. Grigorescu's life story runs parallel to that of many well-known Renaissance artist. He was born on May 15, 1838 to a poor peasant family, his presence as the sixth child bringing more worry than joy. At the age of five, his father died, and the family moved to live with an aunt in Bucharest. His mother and his sisters started sewing day and night to support the family. At age ten, Grigorescu began an apprenticeship as a church painter. Two years later, he sold his first icon. The painter reflected on the event in his diary saying: "Oh Lord, with what joy I returned home after my first deal! I had earned ten small coins and when I placed them into mother's hand. she looked at the money, then at me, she asked me with deep concern where I got it - for I had made the icons in secret. When I told her she kissed me, she was about to say something, but she quickly turned her face to the window, for tears were welling her eyes. That was perhaps, the happiest moment of my life. "
In 1853, when he was only 15 years old, Grigorescu folloed in the footsteps of Michelangelo and Rafael and started painting churches. By 1864, his work was in the greatest demand, but he felt that he needed to improve his style and petitioned the ruling prince for the assistance required to attend the Paiting Academy of Rome. Although the prince did not grant him a scholarship, Mihail Kogalniceanu, a patron of young artists, sent him to paris. After attending the Ecole des Beaux Arts, he completed his artistic education by frequenting the Louvre and Luxembourg museums, making copies of the great masters: Rembrandt, Rubens and Salvator Rosa. In 1866, he returned home and dedicated his time to gathering documentary material such as costumes, landscape and sketches of faces. He then went back to France, renounced clasical studies and joined the group of independent painters at the Barbizon, with the goal of improving his outlook and means of expression. Starting in 1867, he began to show his work at different exhibitions in France and Romania. It was at an exhibition at the Barbizon, that Emperor Napoleon III bought his painting, "A Flower Vase". In 1876, Romania started the War of Independence against Turkey, and Grigorescu was called upon to be an "artistic reporter". The most famous war painting born from the violent scenes of the Independence War was "Storming the Smardan Redoubt," which he finished in 1885.
We can discover the value work of Nicolae Grogorescu to Agapia Monastery in Neamt County, Moldavia. Agapia Monastery is embellished for eternity by the saints painted by Nicolae Grigorescu between 1858 and 1861. He was hired to do this job by Tavefta Ursache, the abbot of Agapia Monastery. She saw an icon of St Mary painted by Nicolae Grigorescu, that we can see today in the museum of the monastery and she was convinced by his talent. Although he was just 20 years old when he started to paint the interior of Agapia’s church, Nicolae Grigorescu manages to create an immortal piece of art, which successfully combines the Byzantine tradition with the neo-classic style and the traditional Romanian art.
In the portraits of his saints, Nicolae Grigorescu uses as models priests, nuns, peasants, children or simple people that pass through Agapia Monastery. The result is a realistic painting: reality is presented with great precision and artistic skill. You can see the strong features of the faces, the beautiful colors, graceful poses, basically images full of humanity and dynamics. We can admire a genius art piece inside the church from Agapia Monastery as a proof that Nicolae Grigorescu manages to paint in a traditional way and to create “a Romanian version of religious paintings” such as: The Path of the Cross, The Prayer from Gethsemane garden, The Descending in the tomb of Jesus, The Last Supper, The Entrance in Jerusalem, St Mary with Baby Jesus. Among the icons that depict prophets is the portrait of Daniil, which is in fact a self portrait of the painter – a chance to see how Nicolae Grigorescu looked when he was young.
From all the paintings present at Agapia Monastery, the most valuable is the painting of St Mary with Baby Jesus in Her Arms. The model for this painting was a simple woman from Filioara village. The value of this icon is that presents the face of St Mary with features of a simple Romanian woman and with the attitude of a traditional peasant from Moldova. Nicolae Grigorescu died in 1907 leaving behind almost 4000 paintings and drawings. Among his paintings, "Gypsy Woman", "Girl with pitcher," Girls at the Gate," "Portrait of a Woman", "Young Shepherd", "Landscape at Posada", "A Herd Emerging from Water", "Girl Lying in the Grass", and "The Watchman at Chailly" are the best known. Some of these paintings are currently on display in Bucharest at the National Museum of Art of Romania or the Museum Collections, 111 Calea Victoriei, or K.H. Zambaccian Museum, 21A Muzeul Zambaccian Street.
Note
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=53865728225 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolae_Grigorescu https://www.indiana.edu/~iuam/provenance/view.php?id=89 http://surprising-romania.blogspot.com/2009/12/nicolae-grigorescu.html http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HEGXdZl_Ug
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