12. Evening Story [cca. 1890]

Dimitrie Serafim comes from a family of church painters (Greek parents, originally from Varna), in which his father and brother, Anton, followed and perfected the craft. However, young Dimitrie will conduct painting and drawing studies in Bucharest, under the guidance of Theodor Aman, Gheorghe Tattarescu and C.I. Stăncescu. He esteemed his teacher Tattarescu, but also closely admired the creation of Nicolae Grigorescu. The study trip made to Paris will be significant for his work, but the artist will return to Bucharest in 1900, under the pretext of occupying a vacant post at the School of Fine Arts here. Influenced by naturalism and the precepts of academicism, he will continue to create and exhibit at the main native artistic events. Over time, Dimitrie Serafim stood out both in portraiture and genre scenes. Although we have not been left with many works by him, those that have appeared publicly in recent years are an irrefutable proof of his plastic ambitions. The meticulously executed details of the present work recall paintings from the golden era of Flemish masters. Made during his stay in Paris, therefore, probably at the end of the 19th century, the present work becomes exponential in demonstrating the specific vocation of academicism. The artist portrays the intimate atmosphere of a family scene and captures two different generations in the same work, whose sincere connection moves the viewer. The grandmother - the mother figure - reads the evening story to her granddaughter - the girl with golden curls. Immersed in the story, protected by the warm embrace of her grandmother, the little protagonist presents herself in a colorful strappy dress, covering a white shirt. Her gaze is directed towards the pages of the book, where the grandmother's gaze also lingers. Sitting in the armchair, she wears her hair covered and dark clothes while following the narrative thread of the story with her index finger. Next to the two characters is the wood table, where we can see a porcelain teapot, decorated with floral motifs; the gas lamp, bowl and spoon; and also the crumpled napkin, which hangs indolently by the table. The faces become the focal point, furrowed by light of the work and reveal an almost photographic transcription of the face details. We also note the painting on the wall and the general preference for dark tones, but Dimitrie Serafim knows precisely when and where to intervene with chromatic bursts meant to give new breath to the work.

Dimensions

width 55 cm, height 50 cm

Description

ulei pe pânză, signed and located bottom right, with ochre, "D. Serafim, Paris"

Research information

The work is reproduced in "The Ox Cart. Painting in Romania. 1800-2000", Tudor Octavian, Official Monitor Publishing House, Bucharest, 2012, on page 24.

Dating

cca. 1890

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