83. Alcántara Bridge (Toledo) [1929]

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83. Alcántara Bridge (Toledo) [1929]

Gheorghe Petraşcu

1872, Tecuci, Galați - 1949, Bucureşti

Estimate:

EUR 9.000 - 16.000

Not sold

References

OPRESCU, George, "Gheorghe Petrașcu", Meridiane Publishing House, Bucharest, 1963. FLOREA, Vasile, "Gheorghe Petrașcu", Meridiane Publishing House, Bucharest, 1989.

oil on canvas glued on cardboard, 24 x 18.5 cm, signed lower right, in black, "G. Petrașcu"

Research information

The artwork is reproduced in the album "Petrașcu", Aurel Vladimir Diaconu, Royal Foundation for Literature and Art, Bucharest, 1946, p. 25 (dimensions erroneously reported, possibly including the passe-partout). The artwork is reproduced in the monograph "Gheorghe Petrașcu", Vasile Florea, Meridiane Publishing House, Bucharest, 1989, cat. 93 (dimensions erroneously reported, possibly including the passe-partout). The artwork is reproduced in the magazine "Arta", no. 8-9, 1972, on page 15.

PROVENANCE

Av. Vladimir Diaconu Collection

During his studies, Gheorghe Petrașcu will be noticed by reputed artists such as Nicolae Grigorescu and G.D. Mirea and will gather enough pictorial qualities that will consecrate him both on the podiums of important exhibitions and in the history of Romanian art. The refinement of his art, which he approaches with confidence, follows from his spontaneous creations. He will never shy away from the enthusiasm prefigured by experiments and study exercises, and the courses conducted in Paris will open up the Romanian painter's appetite for travel. He will discover Venice, which he will translate into special pictorial frescoes, creating panoramas of the canals, bridges and monumental architectural constructions. He will also visit Egypt, but one of his striking encounters will take place in Spain, especially in Toledo, where he discovers the grand construction at Alcántara, which, despite nearly 2000 years old, still remains intact. The impressive stone bridge was built at the order of the Roman Emperor Trajan, between 104-106. Today, it is included in the list of monuments of cultural interest. Spanish landscapes appear in Petrașcu's work especially around 1929. The Iberian journey will thus be transformed into pictorial motives. The artist familiarizes himself here with the works of El Greco, Goya or Velázquez and develops a predilection for the arid and unusual landscape. The Castilian sun will spill over the palette of the Romanian painter who will prefer stone buildings and constructions to the detriment of the vegetal motif. "The Gate of the Sun", "The Bridge of San Marin" or "The Bridge of Alcántara" become recurring motifs that will quickly integrate into the homes of Romanian collectors. From Dr. Iosif Dona to lawyer Aurel Vladimir Diaconu, the famous Iberian bridges will crown the collections of connoisseurs, avid for art and lovers of landscapes. The artist respects the real pretext from which he starts in building the composition and does not deviate too much from the prerogatives adjacent to the subject. The Spanish motif will unfold throughout a standalone thematic cycle, in which the wide planes predominate, attesting to the remarkable plastic value of the artist. If Iosif Iser brought from the Iberian lands the sun-lined faces and the feminine bodies with characteristic clothing, Petrașcu was more interested in transposing an original topos into his canvases. In Spain, Petrașcu will deepen the expressiveness of the play of light and shadow, the deep experience of colors and the reflections of the meetings between the aquatic and the celestial plane.

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