161. Landscape from Cluj [anii '50]

Alexandru Mohi's concerns for painting, drawing and sculpture can be identified from his childhood. The contact with the cultural fervour of the city of Baia Mare will take place during the summers of 1924 and 1925. There he has the chance to study the creations of modern painters such as Nagy Oszkár, Alexandru Ziffer, David Jandi or Thorma Janos. Mohi will be one of the first students of the School of Fine Arts in Cluj, where he arrives on the recommendation of Aurel Popp. He will be granted a scholarship and will choose Maramureș, where he will work alongside names such as Ciucurencu, Marchini, Abrudan or Angheluță. In his landscapes, he will precisely set his stylistic limits and will be inspired by the places he visits, so he will transcribe views from Dej, Mediaș, Cluj or Bistrița. His deeply humanist creation, framed by vigourous constructions, a vibrant and expressive chromatic force and at the same time the rigour of his line will be noticed in works such as "On the outskirts of Cluj", "Street in Dej", "Mediaș", "Medieval aspect from Bistrița". The man-nature union will therefore become a predominant characteristic of his creation. The Transylvanian city will be converted into an element of communion with his birthplace, and human presence will be recurrent in the landscape. He usually arranges his compositions vertically, thus amplifying the monumental aspect and primarily relying on architectural elements. However, Alexandru Mohi will also take on the posture of the colorist who invokes the medieval patina of the represented space. In his landscapes, light suppresses shadows and contributes to the smooth chaining of planes. In the work at hand, vibrant colors are unfolded vertically, and the two characters are diligently inserted into the right lower plan. Every element communicates with its exponent, human, vegetal and architectural motifs now being in an unarguable communion.

References

LĂPTOIU, Negoiță, "Alexandru Mohi", Meridiane Publishing House, Bucharest, 1978.

Dimensions

width 44 cm, height 51 cm

Description

ulei pe carton, signed bottom right, in gray, "Mohi"

Research information

The artwork participated in the exhibition "The Landscape in Romanian Painting", Cotroceni National Museum, 2002.

Lot.notes

On the back, label indicating participation in the exhibition ''The Landscape in Romanian Painting'', Cotroceni National Museum, 2002.

Dating

anii '50

PROVENANCE

The Livia and Mircea Deac Collection.

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