37. Aişé [anii '20]

One of his favorite themes in his work is the nude which represents an assumption of freedom in art and which will stand out, throughout history, as a special genre of painting. The period 1920-1950 is an important one of his creation, because it represents the artist's interest in nude painting. He focuses on overcoming academicism and anatomical knowledge and relies more on perfecting his own ideal of beauty. He uses the nude as a means of expression and combines Renaissance muscular vigor and Baroque carnality in his works. The characters in the artist's female nudes are predominantly portrayed in a robust manner, overflowing with vital energy and fertility, as can also be seen in the present representation, where the character is depicted in semi-profile. Also, this is a version of the work "Aișe", former Iosif Dona collection and was painted by the artist after 1928. In this one can see the full and well-defined forms: both the bust and the abdomen area, and the arms and thighs. The composition harmonizes not only through strokes and shapes, but also through well-argued chromatic choices. Ressu is noted among the painters who "dominated the first half of the 20th century and who made nudes a separate genre of painting", as Mircea Deac also stated; alongside Theodor Pallady or Gheorghe Petrașcu. In their works we will identify the figure of the beloved being, of a model or of a reputed personality. They focus on rendering the reality of volumes and construction rhythms, where this is more noticeable in portraits, where they pay particular attention to the models, lines and strokes rendered. He is concerned with the precise delimitation of contours, uses a predominantly linear rhythm and a bright chromatic approach in an attempt to outline the silhouettes of the characters in his works. Moreover, Ressu's nude stands out through a Renaissance-type monumentality, reminiscent of Rafael, Giorgione, Titian or Michelangelo. The work also served as an example for students, given by the director of the Academy of Fine Arts in Bucharest, for whom the nude had to be the method of verifying the degree of perfection of an artist, according to the ideal of the Renaissance masters. (S.S)

References

ENESCU, T., "Camil Ressu", Publishing House of the People's Republic Academy, Bucharest, 1958. ENESCU, Theodor, "C. Ressu", Meridiane Publishing House, Bucharest, 1984.

Dimensions

width 50 cm, height 70 cm

Description

oil on cardboard, signed bottom left, in pencil, "C. Ressu"

Dating

anii '20

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