The photos of the lot are informative and indicative, and cannot provide a highly detailed view of the object from all angles. We recommend a careful physical inspection of the lot before bidding.
The photos of the lot are informative and indicative, and cannot provide a highly detailed view of the object from all angles. We recommend a careful physical inspection of the lot before bidding.
13. Lady with a Green Fan [a doua jumătate a anilor '20]
The biography of Olga Greceanu reveals one of the most imposing figures of modern Romanian culture. Born into a family with old noble roots, she received a chosen education. In 1911, she began studies at the Academy of Art in Liège and, simultaneously, at the Faculty of Chemistry within the Polytechnic. Until the start of the war, which would interrupt her education, the artist had already outlined her main artistic qualities, deepening the usual artistic language and the current conventions of Western art. After resuming courses at the Liège Academy, the artist completes her studies in 1922 and returns to the country, where she immerses herself in the contemporary native artistic world, that of the modernists. In her works from that period, we note the recurring presence of religious, historical or symbolic subjects, transposed into a personal stylization. The extreme simplification of the image keeps only the strictly necessary for the recognition of the theme, understood as a metaphor. Although predominantly concerned with spiritual-inspired painting, deeply related to the popular one - from this cycle, we mention "Salome" (1927), "Crucifixion", "Maternity" or "Pieta" (made in 1928) -, she also explores the genre of the portrait, using as models and inspiration the people with whom she surrounded herself in everyday life, including friends from the artistic environment of the time. For example, in the notes from her personal diary on December 23, 1924, she records the emotions before a painting session: "Milita comes to pose, I'm nervous [...] and I can't work. Milita came out like a rooster", referring, of course, to her close friend, Milita Petrașcu. The present work, probably made during the same period, represents the portrait of a female character who is contemplatively waving a fan between her elongated fingers, in front of a table decorated with a sheet of paper and an inkwell. We note the rigor of constructing the image from almost straight lines, discreetly curved, which meet at sharp angles. Thus, her work from this period reveals stylistic approaches to cubism and expressionism. The unique aspect of the work is also contributed by the artist's predisposition to experiment with various materials and techniques. Here, the artist applies oil colors on a wooden fiber board, contributing to obtaining transparency effects. The result of this choice amplifies the visual impact of the work and the lasting impression on the viewer. (L.M)
References
NANU, Adina, IANCU-CIOVÂRNACHE, Ștefania, "Olga Greceanu", Publishing House of the Brâncovenești Palaces Cultural Center, Bucharest, 2004.
Dimensions
width 58 cm, height 94 cm
Description
oil on prefabricated chipboard, signed bottom left, in black, "O. Greceanu"
Dating
a doua jumătate a anilor '20
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
For clarifications regarding the bidding procedure, hammer price costs, guarantee, payment, and collection terms for the winning lot, we recommend carefully reading/re-reading the Bidding Regulations.
For additional information regarding the lot and the auction, please contact the Art Consultants Department.
Detalii
The biography of Olga Greceanu reveals one of the most imposing figures of modern Romanian culture. Born into a family with old noble roots, she received a chosen education. In 1911, she began studies at the Academy of Art in Liège and, simultaneously, at the Faculty of Chemistry within the Polytechnic. Until the start of the war, which would interrupt her education, the artist had already outlined her main artistic qualities, deepening the usual artistic language and the current conventions of Western art. After resuming courses at the Liège Academy, the artist completes her studies in 1922 and returns to the country, where she immerses herself in the contemporary native artistic world, that of the modernists. In her works from that period, we note the recurring presence of religious, historical or symbolic subjects, transposed into a personal stylization. The extreme simplification of the image keeps only the strictly necessary for the recognition of the theme, understood as a metaphor. Although predominantly concerned with spiritual-inspired painting, deeply related to the popular one - from this cycle, we mention "Salome" (1927), "Crucifixion", "Maternity" or "Pieta" (made in 1928) -, she also explores the genre of the portrait, using as models and inspiration the people with whom she surrounded herself in everyday life, including friends from the artistic environment of the time. For example, in the notes from her personal diary on December 23, 1924, she records the emotions before a painting session: "Milita comes to pose, I'm nervous [...] and I can't work. Milita came out like a rooster", referring, of course, to her close friend, Milita Petrașcu. The present work, probably made during the same period, represents the portrait of a female character who is contemplatively waving a fan between her elongated fingers, in front of a table decorated with a sheet of paper and an inkwell. We note the rigor of constructing the image from almost straight lines, discreetly curved, which meet at sharp angles. Thus, her work from this period reveals stylistic approaches to cubism and expressionism. The unique aspect of the work is also contributed by the artist's predisposition to experiment with various materials and techniques. Here, the artist applies oil colors on a wooden fiber board, contributing to obtaining transparency effects. The result of this choice amplifies the visual impact of the work and the lasting impression on the viewer. (L.M)
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
For clarifications regarding the bidding procedure, hammer price costs, guarantee, payment, and collection terms for the winning lot, we recommend carefully reading/re-reading the Bidding Regulations.
For additional information regarding the lot and the auction, please contact the Art Consultants Department.
References
NANU, Adina, IANCU-CIOVÂRNACHE, Ștefania, "Olga Greceanu", Publishing House of the Brâncovenești Palaces Cultural Center, Bucharest, 2004.
Dimensions
width 58 cm, height 94 cm
Description
oil on prefabricated chipboard, signed bottom left, in black, "O. Greceanu"
