11. Allegory of Music [cca. 1900]

Dimitrie Serafim arrives in Paris in 1888, where he studies with the famous pedagogue artists of the time and takes over the subject of the nude from his professor, William Bougereau. The nude was, after all, a common subject in academic training, alongside religious or mythological scenes. During his stay in the French capital, Dimitrie Serafim will annually participate in the Salon of the Society of French Artists, as well as the Universal Exhibition of 1900, where he obtains the bronze medal. The Parisian frenzy and visits made to major museums facilitate the meeting of the Romanian student with great universal works; and also with the possibility of making copies after them (we mention here a copy after Henner, kept by the National Museum of Art in Bucharest). The carefully described female muse from behind will represent one of the favorite motifs, often taken over by the artist, especially after the period spent studying in Paris. In the present work the nymph is caught in profile, while scratching the names of great composers: Robert Schumann, Hector Berlioz, Richard Wagner or Johannes Brahms. She holds the brush in her right hand, prepared to note the fifth name, while from her left hand the musical instrument stands out. The muse's body is slightly naked; her clothes fall easily along her body, leaving her back exposed. The allegory of music is one of the recurring subjects of the period, a subject that Serafim will take over in his own creation as a result of study trips - he probably meets him, at the Italian painter Giulio Bargellini or the French painter Henri Fantin-Latour. Henri Fantin-Latour was one of the first French painters to introduce this motif in art. Arriving in England, he discovers the compositions of artists such as Schumann, Berlioz or Wagner, artists who will reveal his passion for music, so a first lithograph dedicated to the subject is publicly displayed in 1862. Through his lithographs, the artist will honor music, literature and opera - works that revolve around fantastic characters such as nymphs framed in mythological scenes. Serafim was probably inspired by the French artist's homonymous work, but nevertheless replayed it through the perspective of his own vision and the specific technical and stylistic means he outlined over time.

Dimensions

width 38 cm, height 48.5 cm

Description

ulei pe pânză lipită pe carton, signed lower left, in red, "Dim. Serafim"

Research information

The artwork was likely inspired by the eponymous work of the French artist Henri Fantin-Latour.

Dating

cca. 1900

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