119. Forest at Barbizon [cca. 1880]

Long disputed among critics, the trajectory of Ioan Andreescu's professional training remains uncertain. From Bucharest, Buzau, and Barbizon, the artist absorbed the knowledge needed to reach his zenith in his creation. He perfected his technique in his home country, then arrived in French bohemia as an already established artist. He continued to gradually adopt ideas and principles from renowned masters. In the native art scene, Andreescu became the painter of nature. He embraced national specificity both in subject choice and interpretation. He painted en plein air and transcribed geographies of landscapes with his unique style. Guided by the desire for knowledge, he reached French lands around 1879, inevitably adopting a luminous crescendo to the detriment of the methodical discipline he previously utilized. In Barbizon, forest edges fascinated him equally as interiors or small rural settlements. Among the solemnity of tall trees, portrayed with their strong trunks and monumental green canopies, we will distinguish fleeting human silhouettes softly suggested with a few specific strokes. Whether they are birches, apple trees, or oaks, trees became the artist's favorite leitmotif, incorporating nature in every one of his canvases.

References

MEREUȚĂ, Iulian, "Andreescu", Meridiane Publishing House, Bucharest, 1972. Catalogue of the commemorative exhibition "Ioan Andreescu", December 21, 1982 – February 6, 1983, Arta Grafică Publishing House.

Dimensions

width 61 cm, height 41 cm

Description

oil on canvas, signed lower right, in red, "I. Andreescu"

Lot.notes

On the reverse, authentication: "Original Andreescu. G. Petrașcu"; "Original by I. Andreescu. Exceptional canvas. I. Țuculescu"

Dating

cca. 1880

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