145. Those who walk [1957]

Passionate about great Romanian values and traditional creation, Țuculescu remains unique in the history of art due to the visual language he mainly uses in Romanian painting, where an important period in his creation is the final totemic one, also called the "signs and symbols" period, characterized by the way his painting transcends and manages to propose a new system of symbols, which will transform the image into the pure expression of the creative self. He affirms himself as an authentic interpreter of nature and excels especially in the realization of landscapes, where starting with the 1940s he will start to carry out as many works as possible having as central theme the field of flowers, particularly the rapeseed field or various wildflowers, which also includes this work. The work is from the final period of his creation, made in 1957 and focuses on capturing a flower field and two totems. His fields are true contrasting chromatic discharges. The raw yellow of vegetation is alongside the green, the blue of the sky, and white clouds. He goes beyond the decorative frame, purely imitative, and tends towards the emotional charge of the canvas through the use of an exacerbated and exuberant palette. Thus, his works that capture the landscape of the flower field represent one of his favorite themes that he will revisit in various forms and aspects. In most works, Țuculescu tries to use recurring elements that define his style and way of working. His works preserve recognizable fragments of the real space he draws inspiration from, but modifies according to his own visions. Țuculescu proposes the fantastic aesthetics of fairy tales and often inserts crosses and totems borrowed from folk art where he reinterprets folk elements in a profoundly modern way in his works, with examples such as: "Flight Over the Plain", "Women in the Field", "Flowers" or "Cornflowers". Many of them emphasize the color and vibration of nature. Chromatic nuances are accentuated by harmonious alternations and strong tones, through which, the works acquire a stylized form and turn into an unreal floral decor similar to carpets or Olt County barks often integrated into his works.

References

COMARNESCU Petru "Ion Tuculescu", Meridiane Publishing House, Bucharest, 1967. DAVIDESCU, Catalin, "Tuculescu", Scrisul Romanesc Publishing House, Craiova, 1988.

Dimensions

width 61 cm, height 52 cm

Description

ulei pe pânză, signed lower right, in black, in monogram, "TUC"

Research information

The artwork was part of the retrospective exhibition at the National Museum of Art, Bucharest, 1965. The artwork was part of the "Ion Țuculescu, The Amateur Genius" exhibition, Art Safari, Bucharest, 2025 and is reproduced in the exhibition catalog. The artwork is reproduced in "Țuculescu" by Petre Comărnescu, Meridiane Publishing House, Bucharest, 1974, under the title "Those who walk".

Dating

1957

PROVENANCE

Maria Țuculescu collection; George Macovescu collection, Foreign Minister (1972-1978) and President of the Union of Writers (1978-1982)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

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