138. On the Lake

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138. On the Lake

Theodor Aman

1831, Câmpulung Muscel, Argeş - 1891, Bucureşti

Estimate:

EUR 3.000 - 5.000

Sold

EUR 9.500

References

RADU, Bogdan, "Theodor Aman", State Publishing House for Literature and Art, Bucharest, 1955. FLOREA, Vasile, "Theodor Aman", Meridiane Publishing House, Bucharest, 1965.

watercolour on paper, 22 x 16 cm, 22 Ã 16 cm, signed bottom right, in brown, "Aman"

The roots of academic orientation in the works of Theodor Aman can be identified in the creations of his masters, Constantin Lecca or Barbu Iscovescu. He took over the safe line promoted by them, going beyond the imitative stage, and he undoubtedly excelled in all the genres approached. In his portraits, Aman focused on highlighting the moral features of his protagonists, and, in the historical paintings, he managed to reiterate the role of the hero in tumultuous action. The artist paid, in the second part of his creation, particular attention to the landscape. In this la stage of his work, marked by trials and experiments, Theodor Aman detaches himself from the realist-academic training and takes on the specific characteristics of plein-air painting. He does not adopt thoroughly the impressionist manner, but he develops brightness mapping techniques and takes on a more serene colour palette. Full of details, Aman’s landscapes keep a social note - a personal mark of the artist’s style. The idyllic conceptualism of his landscapes stands in stark contrast to the historical first stage of his creation. In the last twenty years, the artist’s work will find a wider creative horizon and the renunciation of the rigours imposed by academism. It is the part in which he detach himself from the workshop and familiarizes with the issues involved in outdoor painting. Whether they are transpositions of parks in Bucharest or reproductions of corners of his own garden, the works specific to this period are small and often completed by the human presence. We often identify in the artist’s creation transcripts of the inner courtyards, especially of his garden, which completed the space of the house, which is currently a museum. The courtyard with its green spaces, tall trees and green grass, tables and chairs, the gate or the statues often introduce us to the intimate atmosphere of the painter’s life. He turned his attention to nature with every setting of his deepest emotions in the landscape. In the midst of flowers, grass and trees, we sometimes distinguish the human figure. Aman captures people walking through the park or sitting in a boat, ready to prepare the nets for fishing. Gifted with the skill of the historical chronicler, the painter created landscapes that became true testimonies of his era. (D.C.)

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