55. Roofs at Mangalia [1927-1929]

Tonitza's journey through Dobrogea does not necessarily materialize in the form of seascapes, but mainly takes humble forms, which are reflected in his work as corner of a slum, peasant interiors, houses, cafes or courtyards. A painter of the atmosphere, Tonitza captures in just a few strokes the local color and masterfully imprints the Dobrugian light onto the canvases whose genesis is attributed to the area by the Black Sea. This work is likely created between 1927-1929, a stage when the artist already began to familiarize himself with the secrets of the small settlements by the Black Sea. This work becomes representative through the strength of the subject, through the confident strokes, prodigiously cast in intense shades, specific to the atmosphere with an oriental scent. In the landscapes created at this stage of creation, Tonitza often portrays himself as meditative, indulging in a long contemplation of the subject he is about to transpose onto the canvas. The torrid Dobrugian afternoons and the scorching sunbaths by the Black Sea contribute to the deepening of the vocation of color, a color that the artist uses both as a medium of expressing ideas and as a way of illustrating the deepest feelings. A specific feature of Tonitza's landscapes, however, will remain the absence of the human element. The decorative rhythm of the clothes stretched on lines, the doors or cafes, all bereft of characters, appear in front of the viewers as a scene from a play by Eugen Ionescu, where the empty chairs heaped in a pile seem to engage in their solitude.

References

TONITZA, Nicolae, "Mangalia described in words", 1932, "Radio University", handwritten text, SSR Archive, file 11/1932. SORBAN, Raul, "Nicolae Tonitza", Meridiane Publishing House, Bucharest, 1965. Florica Cruceru, Doina Păuleanu, Simona Urziceanu, "The work of Nicolae Tonitza in the heritage of the Art Museums of Constanta and Topalu", Bucharest, 1979. BREZIANU, Barbu, "N.N. Tonitza", Meridiane Publishing House, Bucharest, 1986.

Dimensions

width 32.5 cm, height 38.5 cm

Description

oil on cardboard, signed bottom left, in brown, "N. Tonitza"

Research information

The artwork participated in the exhibition "N.N. Tonitza", January - March 1964, National Museum of Art, Bucharest, cat. 185, under the title "Mahala Corner". The artwork participated in the National Exhibition of Painting and Graphics “Nicolae N. Tonitza”, National Museum of Art, Bucharest, 1979, cat. 144, under the title "Mahala Corner".

Dating

1927-1929

PROVENANCE

Dr. Lucia Proca's collection.

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