10. Reading (Little Zoe on the Veranda) [anii '20]

Nicolae Vermont will have feminine muses, dedicating entire thematic cycles to characters such as the cheeky girls from the Moldavian slums, wrapped in traditional headscarves and blooming aprons, carrying large baskets, loaded with flowers; or to the country girls caught in the intimacy of their homes or in the unfolding of their daily work. However, inevitably the artist will find inspiration in his own family, hence we will find among his favorite models his wife and his daughter. Little Zoe Vermont was born in 1911 and becomes the central subject of her father's canvases. Sketched sparingly, in pencil; or studied closely in oil, Zoe Vermont will frequently present herself in moments of utmost concentration, of melancholy or reverie. The paternal love and care will manifest, thus, in the permutation of Nicolae Vermont's pen and brushes towards raising the face of the daughter to the rank of leitmotif. Zoe Vermont will inherit the artistic ambition of her father and will become, in her turn, an artist. She will particularly manifest in graphics and drawing and will engage in rendering landscapes and portraits. She will be present on the stands of the artistic events of the Official Salon from the middle of the last century, thus appearing in front of the public not only in the position of a model but also of a creator. With a haircut inspired from the French era, short hair above the shoulders and with a straight fringe slightly extending over her forehead, the protagonist of this piece stands in front of the viewers with a delicate blue bow tied at her back, with a light pink dress, which extends towards her knees, immersed in her reading. The impressionist landscape once again indicates Vermont's preference for plein-air painting. The two female characters, most likely mother and daughter, are illustrated in an intimate, family frame, in the peace and sunny fullness of a spring day. The porch is bathed in the sun rays, and the color palette gradually opens up, strongly imprinted by the radiant incandescence of the sun. The delicate hues of pink harmoniously complement the greenery and the diaphanous white of the tablecloth, the walls, or the sky.

Dimensions

width 29.5 cm, height 38 cm

Description

oil on wood, signed bottom right, in black, "Nicolae Vermont"

Dating

anii '20

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