63. Still Life with Apples and Pot [1924]

A representative of the inter-war painting, Ion Theodorescu-Sion developed his concern for the rigour of the drawing under the guidance of his professors: George Demetrescu Mirea, Jean Paul Laurens or Luc Olivier Merson. Especially in his early work we will encounter the influence of artists whom Theodorescu-Sion had the opportunity to admire in his wanderings through the world's museums. His painting therefore approaches that of a Corot, Courbet or Renoir; but we will particularly find similarities with the work of Derain or Cézanne. From the latter, the Romanian artist takes over the appetite for symbol and constructivism, easy to identify and intuit throughout his work. The still lifes reveal Sion as a master of colour and construction. Consequently, we will identify several chromatic periods, each having a certain dominant shade at its centre. However, we will encounter, especially in still lifes, an eminently colouristic period, in which the deliberate geometrization of forms also stands out. The pictorial nature of the motif will inspire Sion to constantly recreate the world of flowers in his canvases. Carnations, chrysanthemums or roses will be placed in jugs and coloured containers, with a traditional specificity, placed next to bowls or dishes with fruit. The artist will respect the principles of classical symmetry and will organize his compositions according to these, considering the centering of the motif; but there will also be noted works in which he no longer takes into account these rigors and opts for asymmetries or composed schemes. He is particularly concerned with the study and representation of light (both sunlight, natural; as well as the one coming from alternative sources), the emphasis on shadows, the occupation of the entire working surface and the way in which he distributes and amplifies the line, shapes or volumes. His floral elegies will also extend to the realm of plants ripened in pots, which rise triumphant and green from the brick porthole of the vessels. Often, fruits will be added, allowing the artist to exercise his colouristic skills. Thus, scattered all over the canvas, or arranged in delimited multi-plane spaces, green, red or yellow apples appear through which Theodorescu-Sion exercises his arrangement of the play of light and shadow. The studio still lifes often reveal snippets of newspapers, or books with their white or yellowed paper over time. Amidst the verve and dynamism of some of these works, we also notice the lyrical character of the artist. Made in the period before his departure to Italy, this work falls into the category of still lifes in which Theodorescu-Sion respects the tones of popular ceramics. Therefore, earthly tones will predominate: brown, brick, yellow; but we will also spot a few green or white insertions. The work of Ion Theodorescu-Sion remains well-known, therefore, for its decorative character; the exuberant colouring, harmoniously distributed and the adoption of national specificities, of symbolism or the geometrization of forms.

References

SCHOBEL, Doina, CLONARU, Hariton, "Ion Theodorescu-Sion", exhibition catalog, Museum of Art of the S.R.R., Bucharest, 1971.

Dimensions

width 30.5 cm, height 38.5 cm

Description

oil on cardboard, signed and dated bottom left, in orange, "Theodorescu-Sion, 1924"

Research information

The art piece was part of the retrospective exhibition "Ion Theodorescu-Sion" at the Museum of Art of the Socialist Republic of Romania, 1971 and is reproduced in the exhibition catalog, cat. 87. The work was also part of the "Ion Theodorescu-Sion" exhibition at Art Safari, 11th Edition, 10.02 - 14.05.2023.

Dating

1924

PROVENANCE

Solomon Gallstein collection.

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