79. Child's Head (Grămadă's Child)

Dating from the maturity period, this masterful sketch testifies Grigorescu's total mastery of the means of expression. The art of rendering with a few brush strokes, in light and bright chromatic hues, a human universe intertwines with the fine psychological intuition in this survey which the artist makes in the universe of childhood purity. Enthralled by the vivacity and freshness of this beginning of life, the artist captures the inquisitive, direct gaze towards the world, the velvet eyes of the child which he swiftly and surely applies a drop of white upon. The rosy, chubby face stands out against the gray-white color background painted in a thin, delicate layer, like a veil. The strands of silken, golden hair, indicated by a few carefree strokes, support the delicacy of this face caught around the age of two. According to a note that once appeared - today it is almost illegible - on the back of the frame, the "Child of Gramada" has been suggested by successive owners of the painting as the identity of the model, one of the characters of the Bucovinian Gramada family, prominent in the first half of the 20th century through several historians, writers, university professors in Iasi or Cernauti. We recall two personalities whose date of birth might coincide with the creation of this work: Ion Gramada (1886-1917), writer, the hero of Ciresoaia; Niculai Gramada (1892-1961), historian, university professor. We can assume that it was part of the art collection of the founder of the National Bank, the economist Eugeniu Carada (1836-1910), a collection renowned at the time for the quality of the Grigorescu's works. In this sense, the existence on the verso of the frame of the number 12, could correspond to the number in the catalog of the Carada collection put up for sale in 1910 (No. 12, "Child's Head"). We appreciate that the work is presented in its original framing. (I.B.)

References

Painting exhibition. The Eug.Carada Collection. N.Grigorescu, Andreescu, Alpar, Aman, Montchablon, Mirea [Catalog]. "Art" Salon, Bucharest [1910]. Lucian Predescu, "Encyclopedia of Romania" Thinking, Romanian Material. People and achievements, anastatic edition, Saeculum I.O., Vestala Publishing House, Bucharest, 1999, p.372. iongramada.wordpress.com/wp -content/uploads/2018/10/famgramada-genealogical-sketch.

Dimensions

width 22 cm, height 29 cm

Description

ulei pe lemn, signed lower right, in red, "Grigorescu"

PROVENANCE

possibly from the collection of the economist Eugeniu Carada (1836-1910), the founder of the National Bank

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

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