25. At the Beach [1900-1910]

1866, Bacău - 1932, Bucureşti

Estimate

EUR 2.500 - 3.500

Sold

EUR 4.250

Session

Thu, 19 June 2025 18:00

He started taking painting lessons from the master Nicolae Grigorescu at only eight years old, when the painter arrived in Bacău during the summer. At the age of 15, he went to study at the School of Fine Arts in Bucharest in the class of Theodor Aman, where under his guidance he would perfect his drawing and engraving techniques. His works demonstrated a particular interest in the lives of people in rural areas, but he often illustrated the city world, craftsmen, workers, as well as the joy of holidays and dances in the village. Nicolae Vermont sought to capture psychological effects in his work through compositional organization and successively went through the peculiarities of German and French impressionism, a few examples are: "Emigrants", "Chimney Sweeper" or "Bragagiul", "Dance" or "Peasant Woman with Violets". During his maturity years, which may span between 1900-1918, the artist focuses on realising and better defining the portrait. As far as their execution is concerned, emphasis is placed on psychological traits, on highlighting the moral characteristics of the character portrayed, wanting to capture the concern with the character and morals of the person portrayed, where a few examples are: "Portrait of the artist's wife", "Old man in the Waiting Room", "Master Locksmith", "Portrait of Bernard Vermont" or "Italian Piper". During this maturity period, he began to have preferences for the works of artist Rembrandt, where other themes he tackled due to his style were nude and religious scenes, some examples are: "Bacchus", "Composition with Nudes", "Adoration of the Shepherds", "Baptism" or "Road to Golgotha". As for the present work, which can also be framed in the maturity years (1900-1918) of Nicolae Vermont, when he begins to create such works, influenced by Rembrandt's style, the focus is on the representation of a female nude who is in nature, seated on a bench, next to some clothes located near her. The character is sitting with her legs close together, hands raised, fixing her hair, and her gaze is directed downward, to the left. Besides representing the woman, the work also focuses on observing the scenery in the background, where behind her you can notice both the vegetation, the sky, and the blue sea in the distance. In the present portrayal, Vermont tried to sketch out and emphasize the qualities and the style of Rembrandt regarding the shapes and the silhouette of the character. The young woman appears to be portrayed in a natural and daily environment on a regular day at the sea, surrounded by greenery and rocks. From the method of representation, it can be noted that the young woman is higher up, in the rocky and green area, as the sea is lower than where she is depicted. The landscape is a summer one, boasting a beautiful view of the rocks and the blue sea in the background, with green trees and a clear and vibrant sky in short touches of light blue and white tones. The composition is a chromatically balanced one, where you can see various tones of blue, shades of green, pink and white accents.

References

PAVEL Amelia - "Artist Monographs II - Nicolae Vermont", Academy Publishing House of the People's Republic of Romania, Bucharest, 1958.

Dimensions

width 36 cm, height 49 cm

Description

oil on cardboard, signed bottom right, in black, "N. Vermont"

Dating

1900-1910

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

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