151. The Singer [2017]

1942, Braşov

Estimate

EUR 25.000 - 45.000

Sold

EUR 43.500

Session

Tue, 16 December 2025 17:00

Stefan Câlția is a painter of a fairy-tale universe, yet he does not lose the mundane elements. Through his compositions, he presents a world that has not yet lost its innocence, where traditional fairy tales, fables and the game of spectacle can harmoniously coexist on the same canvas. His work is characterized by the smooth transition from a dreamlike state to a lucid one. An architect of his own creation, the painter carries a fantastic objectivity in his world. Stefan Câlția begins a new pictorial cycle in the '90s and will continue it to this day, inspired by the world of spectacle. The universe takes on the shape of a carnivalesque convoy, through the fairy-tale atmosphere, inspired by Pieter Brugel's stories. The characters are diaphanous and dynamic, floating on the painter's canvas like tightrope acrobats. The actors are caught in the webs of the show, standing at the antipode between reality and the celestial. The fascinating world that Câlția composes is taken from the realm of native fairy tales, with fairytale characters that become moralizing sources in his work. Thus, in this pictorial cycle, the characters materialize in the form of typologies: the singer, the acrobat, the lost traveller or the winged creatures. The artist is inspired by the vibrant rustle that appears in Hieronymus Bosch's works and thus manages to head towards the dynamics of a wandering show of proportions. Paradoxically, the fruit of the artist's inspiration becomes the dramatic dilemma in his work, through the recurring symbols accompanying the characters in this carnivalesque playful setting. Thus, the painter invites the viewer to partake in deciphering the show. Rich in compositional details and symbols, the present work fits into this cycle dedicated to the world of carnival, which also includes the following works: "Scene from the Garden", "The Little Girl and the Flute Singer", "The Clown, the Lady and the Trickster". The work "The Singer", created in the period 2010-2017, is a truthful summary of the features that define this series. Thus, Stefan Câlția assumes the role of a scriptwriter through the story exposed. The small incidents on the canvas are structured like a phantasmagoria, with mesmerizing characters participating. The morphology of Câlția's protagonists' faces is emphasized through the chromatics of the painting. The painter chose a palette of earthy shades, nuances of red and spots of color like blue and yellow for the characters' attire. Thus, the painter invites the viewer to actively participate by deciphering the carnival representation. (C.M.)

References

GUȚĂ, Adrian; PAVEL, Amelia, "Ștefan Câlția", Possible Gallery, Bucharest, 2004.

Dimensions

width 61 cm, height 75 cm

Description

oil on canvas, signed and dated top right, in black, in monogram, "Câlția, 2017"

Dating

2017

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