88. The Model (Liolea) [anii '30]

Recognized during his lifetime by critics of taste and competence, present in exhibitions and without extravagance, Ion Theodorescu-Sion remains a persistent and appreciated artist. He was passionate about literature, an admirer of Macedonski, and formed a close friendship with Ion Minulescu, his weakness being symbolist poetry. His peak work is outlined between 1920-1930. He was influenced by Cézanne and Derain through the distribution of volumes and attention to detail, and although he was a supporter of experiments, preferences for certain colors, ways of applying strokes or themes can be observed, depending on the period. The '30s bring a warmer atmosphere to Sion's painting, a gentleness of matter, a more pronounced musicality. In the last years of his life, his works have a special brightness, so the artist returns to the warm and pastel colors from his first creative period. We find warm and nuanced shadows that give a lyrical and slightly mysterious note to the portraits, especially in the third period, "eminently coloristic", as Tonitza calls it, located between 1931-1939. As time goes by, Theodorescu-Sion's characters gain a natural attitude, compared to the early period where his characters were static and rigid. With the inclusion of decorative elements, flowers, or furniture items, the characters become living beings who live and are captured in everyday life. He pays increased attention to portraits, but especially to the portraits of young Liolea (Elena), where he consistently works in conception and vision. In 1929, the artist remarried Elena Evreinov, who became his model. She was an artist and exhibited at Salons in 1935 and 1938. She corresponded to the type of beauty preferred by Sion in his last creative period, he painted her for 10 years in portraits but also group compositions. The painting "Liolea" is special, by combining the portrait with static nature in a mixed composition, complex both due to the impeccable execution from a technical point of view, and the multitude of symbols that open the door to the inner dimension. Like all Sion's characters, the young woman appears as an archetype, with a simple beauty and a freshness that the painter associates with the female models each time.

References

PAVEL, Amelia, "Ion Theodorescu-Sion", Meridiane Publishing House, Bucharest, 1967. SCHOBEL, Doina, CLONARU, Hariton, "Ion Theodorescu-Sion", exhibition catalog, Museum of Art of the R.S.R., Bucharest, 1971.

Dimensions

width 50.5 cm, height 61 cm

Description

ulei pe pânză, signed bottom left, in black, "TSion"

Dating

anii '30

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