86. Shepherd, with a flock of sheep [1900-1904]

Nicolae Grigorescu advocates for the honesty of feeling and campaigns for the representation of the nature of his native homeland in a profoundly purified manner, both pictorial and synthesized through the charm of art. The countless summers spent in the midst of nature, in valleys and through mountains, have endowed the artist with a Romanian ethos that would dominate his entire body of work. Previous exhibitions introduced Nicolae Grigorescu to the protipendada of the epoch, and his works thus ended up in acclaimed collections such as that of Queen Elizabeth, Alexandru Vlahuță, Iosif Dona, or Constantin Istrati. With an outstanding reflexivity, our artist will ponder on the condition of the rural man and will create a veritable panorama of the Romanian rural space. His portraits of shepherds are thus invariably found in his repertoire. Depicted up close, as faithfully to reality as possible, with the features of a man familiar with toil; or placed in the landscape, herding sheep or cattle, Grigorescu's shepherds introduce us to the specific atmosphere of the period, within the rural setting traversed by the sun's rays, with azure skies and tender grass. We will notice how the silhouettes of peasants begin to appear in his creation from the works done in Câmpulung. He will summarily suggest these silhouettes, through bright accents or deliberate intensification of shadows. Alexandru Vlahuță described Nicolae Grigorescu as "a pure and kind soul, amazed in front of the beauties of this world, full of gratitude for being allowed to see them, enjoying like a child the wonders from afar, discharging his tribute through painting". Therefore, Nicolae Grigorescu will excel in the lyrical transposition of otherwise common scenarios. The man will remain a constant even in his landscapes, benefiting from an organic integration in the natural setting, regardless of whether the painter illustrates rest or daily chores.

References

VLAHUȚĂ, Alexandru, "Painter Grigorescu - His Life and Works", Alexandru Vlahuță, Bucharest, 1910. Petrașcu, Nicolae, "N. Grigorescu", "Bucovina" Printing House, I.E. Toroutiu, Bucharest, 1930. Brezianu, Barbu, "Nicolae Grigorescu", Tineretului Publishing House, Bucharest, 1959.

Dimensions

width 39.5 cm, height 25 cm

Description

oil on wood, signed lower right, in red, "Grigorescu"

Dating

1900-1904

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