142. House at Poiana Marului (Togoe's Courtyard) [1969]

In the unsteady attempt to cultivate a certain intimacy in his works, Horia Bernea seeks genuine modernity, wishing to organically attach it to his work. The reality of Bernea's works is structured on the rediscovery of the natural. The preference for spaces that have lost their innocence will mark the trajectory of a painter who intends to transform through his art. Therefore, the search begins with the return to the nascent state. Horia Bernea's work will focus on exploring the sacred that hides in daily profanity. Inspired by the past, all his works are recoveries meant to transform the individual heritage into a rigorous artistic experience. Horia Bernea dedicates large cycles to his themes such as: "Hill", "Church Interiors", "Prapor". The period of the '60s-'70s is consumed by certain experimental directions, oscillating between abstraction and figuration within a framework that aligns with the new realism, as well as conceptual expressionism. Horia Bernea, in search of new symbolic structures, intuitively returns to the tradition he knew in his childhood. In the exhibited work, the painter explores the necessity of a reconsideration of the daily aspects of village life. "The works with a very traditional character appear in my painting in connection with the concern to more precisely grasp the nature of these essential needs that I say do not change," said Horia Bernea about the cycle of works that have their roots in the domestic world. Thus, the painter has dedicated the proper attention to the "subject" of his work, managing to bring a fragment from the outside world onto the canvas. The color palette of the current painting is vibrant, a work that abounds in shades of red, ochre, and brown. Horia Bernea, in the work "Composition", refers to the simplicity of village houses, an earthly paradise suspended in timelessness. Horia Bernea's work represents the natural rediscovered in mundane unrest. Apparently "traditional" compositions are, in fact, undying echoes of postmodernism. Master of his own creations, Horia Bernea encompasses, with each gesture, the creative face of art. (C.M.)

References

"Horia Bernea", National Museum of Art of Romania. Department of Contemporary Art, Bucharest, 1997 Monograph "Horia Bernea", Noi media print Publishing, 2008.

Dimensions

width 50 cm, height 40.5 cm

Description

oil on canvas, signed and dated bottom left, in brown, "H.B., 9.(19)69"

Dating

1969

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

For clarifications regarding the bidding procedure, hammer price costs, guarantee, payment, and collection terms for the winning lot, we recommend carefully reading/re-reading the Bidding Regulations.

For additional information regarding the lot and the auction, please contact the Art Consultants Department.