15. Ox Cart at Sunset

In 1890, Nicolae Grigorescu returns to Romania, to Câmpina, after almost 30 years spent intermittently in France. The artist manages in the last twenty years of his life to perfect old visions and to unite the theoretical directives received from realists, impressionists, from classical masters and from his contemporaries alike. The artist's deep sensitivity resonates with the idyllic landscape of this area. Grigorescu favors social painting, where he brings to the fore themes of everyday life in which the simple man of the village and his life occupy the central place. Against the background of Câmpina, Grigorescu's artistic vision settles and clears up, and the rustic theme acquires an idealized interpretation. More precisely, the motive of the ox-carts occupies a central place in Grigorescu's work, present in approximately 300 creations in different forms, out of a total of almost 3,000 known works. The general composition of the ox-carts transcends the simple status of a subject taken from rural life caught in different stances and represents the perpetual rotation of the seasons and man's integration into nature. The present work immortalizes a scene at sunset and bears the traces of plein-air work, a technique that Grigorescu assimilated during his stay at Barbizon. Made in 1899, in the late stage of his creation and life, the work differs from most rustic scenes painted by Grigorescu, which lack the same intensity. A dramatic feeling, marked by haste and a serious atmosphere, is infused by the austere color of the composition, where shades of brown predominate. Through the controlled distribution of light, which glimpses among the clouds and is reflected in the water, the artist nuances a precise moment of the working day: dusk. Thus, Grigorescu captures the dynamic and lightning-fast nature. The composition gains dynamism and through the brushwork: the strokes are spontaneous, fast, wide and fluid, and the volumes of the characters tend to lose consistency, being barely suggested. The way of approaching the surface, fragmentation of the line or abandonment in favor of construction by color spots, can be attributed to the contact with the art of the impressionists, from whom Grigorescu learns some effects. (L.M.)

References

MATEI, Rodica, "Grigorescu, Painter of Nature", National Art Museum of Romania, 2008 COMARNESCU, Petru, "Vision of Nature in N. Grigorescu’s Work" in "Testimonies about N. Grigorescu", ESPLA, 1957 CEBUC, Alexandru, "Grigorescu", Official Monitor, 2007

Dimensions

width 79.5 cm, height 30 cm

Description

oil on canvas, signed and dated lower right, in red, "Grigorescu, (18)99"

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