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63. Nude [1929-1930]

Nicolae Tonitza

1886, Bârlad - 1940, Bucureşti

Estimate

EUR 65.000 - 95.000

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Session

Thu, 18 June 2026 19:00

Starting from 1926, the nude becomes an increasingly frequent theme in Nicolae Tonitza's work. The interest in this theme has its roots in his formative years at the School of Fine Arts in Iasi, where the artist practiced the study of the nude in the studio - a lesson that Italians call "accademia". Tonitza saw the nude as a "subtle brotherhood between color and light". What defines him as an artist is the abandonment of color in favor of drawing: color does not build the form on its own, but fills it, being applied within rigorously traced contours. Ionel Jianu accurately captures this: "above all, he will remain a draftsman, with the color being applied within the precisely outlined contours, as a substance that fills the space between the borders of the lines." Numerous pen and pencil studies from this period confirm a constant concern for form, especially for the anatomy of the female body, with its specific modeling trait. The artist has the ability to expressively portray the body regardless of the pose in which his model poses. Most of the time, however, he renders the intimate atmosphere and the warmth of the interiors. He becomes a careful observer, faithfully synthesizing the features of his muses, reinterpreting them through elegant lines. He captures distinct attitudes and gives the body a symbolic construction. His characters are often presented in stark contrast with the background. Although he often opts for a neutral chromatic, he uses strong tones and contours in dark shades. Another defining element of his nudes is the intimate scenography. Tonitza does not overload the frame with decorations, but creates a specific atmosphere through draperies, beds, sofas, chair backs or various prop elements, which complete the composition without distracting from the model. Nicolae Tonitza ranks among the painters who "dominated the first half of the 20th century and who made nude paintings an independent genre of painting", as Mircea Deac affirms; next to Theodor Pallady, Gheorghe Petrașcu and Camil Ressu. In their works we will identify the figure of the beloved being, of a model or of a reputed personality. In his writings about art, Tonitza discusses the issue of the reception of the nude in native art, referring to the reticence and puritanism displayed by some viewers. “Whoever is conquered by the voluptuousness of the flesh in front of a nude and not by the pleasure of painting - misses out," the artist would remark, so that after acquiring the precepts of Munich academism and the teachings of the Iasi Fine Arts, he will master human anatomy and will include the subject in his work. This work, created in the 1930s, illustrates the principles mentioned above. Tonitza chooses to depict the model face-on, emphasizing the anatomical qualities of the body: the smoothness, plasticity and transparency of the flesh, treated with the artist's characteristic emotional sensitivity. The pictorial frame and the chromatic register link it to other works from the same period, among which we mention "Nude with pink shirt" from the Constanta Art Museum collection. As in the case of "Nude in the haystack" from 1926, the intimacy of the boudoir serves as a background, integrating the nude into a familiar framework.

References

BREZIANU, Barbu, ”N.N.Tonitza”, Ed. Academiei, Bucharest, 1967 BREZIANU, Barbu, “N.N.Tonitza”, Ed. Meridiane, Bucharest, 1986 CIUCĂ, Valentin, “Following Tonitza's footsteps”, Ed. Sport-Tourism, Bucharest, 1984 COMARNESCU, Petru, “N.N.Tonitza”, Ed. Tineretului, Bucharest, 1962 JIANU, Ionel, “Tonitza”, Ed. Căminul Artei, Bucharest, 1945 PELEANU, Georgeta, “N.N.Tonitza Exhibition"[catalog], Art Museum of R.P.R., Bucharest, 1964 ȘORBAN, Raoul, “Tonitza”, Ed. Meridiane, Bucharest, 1973

Dimensions

width 49.5 cm, height 69 cm

Description

oil on cardboard, signed at the bottom right, in black, "Tonitza"

Research information

The artwork is reproduced in the retrospective exhibition catalog "N.N.Tonitza", Museum of Art of the R.P.R., Bucharest, 1964 on page 134, cat. 19, under the title "Nude little girl". The work was part of the exhibition "Tonitza and the genius of childhood", Art Safari Bucharest, 201 and is reproduced in the exhibition catalog "Tonitza and the genius of childhood", Zoltan Soos, Art Safari, 2019, page 207.

Dating

1929-1930

PROVENANCE

director Sică Alexandrescu's collection.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

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