164. New Bridge [1979]

Passionate about art and painting, he spent his childhood in his father's studio, the painter Corneliu Baba, where he learned the steps of academic painting and the peculiarities of classical training, as well as how to proportion and value the subject when working directly from the model. His painting is focused on the observation and realization of people, it is rhythmically by countless motifs and themes, some revisited, others became real obsessions. From the dramatic theme of the peasants to the obsessions of fear or mad kings, other favorite themes include Parisian or Venetian landscapes where he manages to capture the melancholic yet lively image of the architecture of the palaces and buildings in these places. Thus, among the best-known landscapes, excluding those made in the country, Venice and Parisian corners are some of the favorite themes created by the artist. He always chooses difficult corners where the picturesque is less important, and the details are provided by the brushwork he creates. The choice of less revealing views is provoked by the richness of motifs in the painted place and the details he is trying to convey to viewers. Regarding the present work, it captures the image of the Neuf Bridge, the water and the Parisian architecture in the background, a work that was done in 1979. Baba's tendency towards an intimate vision is due to that dramatic tint that shapes his entire thematic universe. If in the case of views from Venice this quality is much more evident in plastic reproduction, in painting Parisian corners, he will try to put more emphasis on the chromatic range of these scenes. Unlike Petrașcu, whose Venetian and Parisian landscapes possess dramatic nobility along with carefully chosen chromatics, Baba's landscapes and buildings approach a more dramatic note and treat scenes from a different artistic perspective. The buildings he created have a well-defined architecture, leaving room for the other elements within the scene to be observed. The work created in 1979, has as its main motif the bridge, a construction that joins two areas, but also an arc over time, the famous river that springs from northern France and has inspired several artists over time. The artist captures in this work the chromatic range, through shades of ocher and dark gray, quite powerful that balance his own emotional states and the way he organizes space and strokes, where at the same time he invites the viewer to travel and discovery of the city from a coloristic point of view. Both in portraits, landscapes, or still lifes his painting excels through a sober color, of a vigorous artistic expression, with dramatic contrasts and chiaroscuro effects.

References

Alexandru Măciucă "Corneliu Baba - An European Collection", Bucharest, 2018.

Dimensions

width 56 cm, height 46 cm

Description

ulei pe carton, signed and dated bottom right, in black, "Baba, (19)79"

Research information

The artwork was part of a solo exhibition, National Gallery, Budapest, 1981. The artwork was part of a solo exhibition, Albertinum Gallery, Dresden, 1981. The artwork was part of a solo exhibition, Palazzo dei Diamanti, Ferrara, 1982. The artwork was part of a solo exhibition, National Gallery, Sofia, 1982.

Dating

1979

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