141. Menaru and Menan [1950]

The tension of line and color brings her closer to Wanda Sachelarie Vladimirescu's geometric and Kandinsky's chromatic. Regardless of the execution manner, the subject remains the center of her painting. The confluence between tangible and irrational creations reveals an overflowing imaginary, which the artist will relentlessly cultivate until the end of her life. She studies in Bucharest, with teachers such as Frederic Storck or Alexandru Tzigara-Samurcas and then follows, according to the tradition of the era, the path of Paris. The vitality of the composition and intense coloring, the expression strength and overflown energy are just a few characteristics of the artist's own vision. This work was offered as a gift by the artist herself to her good friend, the poet Mariana Dumitrescu, author of the novella "The return from the depths", a work that Wanda Sachelarie Vladimirescu chose to transcribe pictorially. Graduated magna cum laude from the Faculty of Letters and Philosophy, but also from the Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in the Dramatic Art section, Mariana Dumitrescu showed a visible interest in musical-dramatic shows. She debuted as an actress and directing assistant at the National Theater in Bucharest but was closely concerned with creating Mihail Jora's ballet librettos. Her pen dictated poems or novellas, and renowned artists like Mihail Jora composed music on her verses. "The return from the depths" is one of the fantastic novellas written by Mariana Dumitrescu. The text includes elements of legend, mythology, and folklore and represents a meeting point between ballad, legend, and fairytale. The central subject is represented by the love of the protagonists (Menaru and Menan) that overcomes everything. Mihail Jora stated that "[...] I had no other merit than having discovered the wonderful script of Mariana Dumitrescu, a script that excited me so much, that I didn't know what else to do but frame it musically. [...]". The premiere took place on May 12, 1965, on music by Mihail Jora and with choreography signed by Oleg Danovschi at the National Opera and Ballet Theater. Wanda Sachelarie Vladimirescu captures the essence of the libretto through a few expressive brushstrokes - she places the androgynous pair in the center of the composition, surrounded by water. We find ships and fishing boats, but also the sky suggested by the black line, which fades softly. The painter's metonymies recreate the imaginary of her friend's text and render a fantastic world in an unprecedented vision.

References

GRIGORESCU, Dan, "Wanda Sachelarie Vladimirescu", Meridiane Publishing House, Bucharest, 1993.

Dimensions

width 20 cm, height 17 cm

Description

tempera on glass, signed and dated bottom right, in black, "W.S. (1)950"

Dating

1950

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