22. On the Terrace at Balchik [1939]

Captivated by the charms of the sea and the magic of the sun rays, Samuel Mützner would often frequent the bays of Balchik, but he would also be drawn to Seville, with its landscapes, courtyards, and fluorescent nature, interspersed with incandescent inlays of light. Samuel Mützner would conjure the atmosphere of the East through the waves of the Black Sea. Balchik would offer him an opportunity to explore the realm of light and facilitate his encounter with a much brighter color palette. He would carry on working here even after the Second World War and dedicate his name to the saga of Balchik painters. On the cliffs glistening under the sun, the Mützners would build a house with a terrace. Here, they would entertain friends, colleagues or relatives. The balmy spring mornings, the scorching summer middays or the brick-red reverberations of autumn would henceforth find their place in the artist's works. In Balchik, Mützner would indulge himself in chromatic and stylistic experiments. He'd reminisce about the impressionist period at Giverny and incorporate the obtained principles in the grays of the cliffs, the blue of the sky and sea, or the raw green of the vegetation. The meeting point of the earth with the water and of the sea with the sky remains a favorite subject of the artist, and for a short time, it becomes a leitmotif. Majorly, this artwork includes a charming marine landscape and also the silhouette of a protagonist. Surrounded by nature, with the sea waves in the background, Mützner's muse reveals the meticulous care with which the artist organised his composition. We notice a double portrait: that of the character and of nature, as the painter meticulously detailed every element of his work.

References

MARIAN, Rodica, "Samuel Mützner", Antet Publishing House, Bucharest, 2005.

Dimensions

width 50 cm, height 61.5 cm

Description

oil on canvas glued on cardboard, signed and dated bottom left, in red, "S. Mutzner, (1)939"

Dating

1939

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