26. Chrysanthemums

With a symbolism that lies in feelings such as love, loyalty or longevity, chrysanthemums frequently appear in the work of the artist from Iasi. He often transposes the flowers from his garden (and not only, however, in general he chose a type of easily accessible flowers). Occupying a central positioning and dominating without hesitation the entire work, the vase of flowers certainly demarcates itself from the rest of the composition through contours, lines, chromatics and light effects. Octav Băncilă chooses to paint both the background and the table on which the vase is placed in earth tones in order to highlight the chiaroscuro play. Several colorful chrysanthemums triumphantly sprout from the small pitcher. The artist prefers to use strong colors and as bright tones as possible in outlining a rich static nature. From white to ochre, and to the shades of pink, Băncilă describes with fine, but determined strokes. Viewed as a whole, this work reveals on the one hand the artistic mastery of the painter, and on the other hand allows us to penetrate into his emotional universe, through symbolism and emotional charge.

References

COMAN, Anton, "Băncilă", State Publishing House for Literature and Art, Bucharest, 1954.

Dimensions

width 66 cm, height 60.5 cm

Description

oil on canvas, signed on the right side, in ochre, "Octav Băncilă"

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