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The sea in The Art Museum in Constanta
The relationship between artists and the nature of Dobroudja has
generated an evocative, delicate harmonie of colours as in the work
of Tonitza, and a materialization of water and sand, as in the work
in Petrascu and a modelation of spaces by visual recomposition as
in the works of Lucian Grigorescu and Darascu.
Romanian artists don't paint the sea as the russian artist Aivazovski
does. They mostly show the coast, a person's relation with the sea
and the Dobroudjan landscape. If we consider all of the marine paintings,
they may seem to number only a few. Stefan Popescu observed the
sea like a landscape, with tones of green and blue.
The sea became a subject to be painted in the XXth century when
people began to identify with the idea that the sea was a space
of recreation and tourism. This relation with the sea, discovered
as space for one to relaxe and contemplate, is observed in the works
by wellknown painter Gheorghe Petrascu, who is considered one of
the most important Romanian marine painters. He establishes a relation
between women and the marine landscape. To him, the sea is calm.
The composition of his pictures emits a certain disposition of detachment
and elegance. Because of the omnipresent feminine element.
Stefan Dimitrescu has a picture of big dimensions entitled "Women
at the beach" in which he observes the vigour and the health
of some women who rejoice in the sea and the sun. Similarly, the
painter Samuel Mutzner paints nudes at the seaside among the rocks,
transmiting to the watcher a disposition of joy and enthusiasm by
the freshness of colours and the dynamism of the composition. The
same pleasure and coquettishness of women who enjoy the sea is observed
by the painter Ion Theodorescu-Sion in the picture entitled "Women
on the beach".
A creation using the terraces of Constanta is done by Dimitrie Harlescu:
people of different nationalities drink peacefully their beer on
a terrace at the seaside. For Theodor Pallady, the landscape and
ambiance of Constanta is similar to the way other notable paiters
show it such as Dimitrie Ghiata and Henri Catargi. For Marius Bunescu
the sea is an element which disturbes the landscape, his pictures
show the coasts before the storm. There is only one painting of
the fisher life entitled "Net at drying" by Samuel Mutzner.
Nicolae Vermont and Alexandru Ciucurencu paint The Constanta Port.
A very orriginal picture is Magdalena Radulescu's water colour entitled
"Boat in port."
In Ion Tuculescu's pictures, the sea colours are very bright and
he prefers the coasts of Mangalia. Even if people aren't present
in his pictures, the sea painted by Tuculescu represents the tumult
of life. The variety of colours suggest the joy in people's eyes
in the moment of meeting with the sea.
Attracted by the moving waves, every peinter has discovered the
marine landscapes, their artistical temperament and the technique
used. Gheorghe Petrascu gives the water a glowing enamel. Stefan
Dimitrescu has simple marine landscapes with a clear and bright
colors. Nicolae Tonitza distinquishes himself by the warmth and
the light that fills his picturesa and by the purity and the transparency
of the water. Nicolae Vermont populates his marines with porters,
workers in the port, crafts that come to coast or leave it in a
continuous moving. In paintings by La Ion Tuculescu the sea is always
worried and restless, and the colours are bright.
At The Art Museum in Constanta, during our visit on the January
13th, 2002, there was an exposition of painters with pictures dedicated
to the marine space. We met dramatism and colour, much force and
unusual compositions in Loretta Baluta, Eugenia Botezatu, Lucia
Balacescu and Daniela Turcan's pictures. In contrast with the paintress,
NIcolae Manolescu shows an aspect of Constanta.
The Manager of The Art Museum, Mrs. Doina Pauleanu, confessed to
us that there is no picture dedicated to the local space which isn't
exposed. Because one of the intentions of the museum display many
interpretaions of the Dobroudjan region.
Veronica Socarici
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