68. Nymph in the Grass [cca. 1870]

Nude studies in landscape constitute a lesser-known cycle of Grigorescu's work, with roots in a thematic related to the Barbizon School (Corot and Courbet or even other artists of the group, such as Narcisse Diaz de la Pena). Throughout his operas, Grigorescu takes over themes and pictorial issues from the ambiance of his formation, filtering them in a personal form and vision. The pictorial exercise proposed here establishes a dialogue-contrast between the nude bathed in the summer plein air light and the background of darkness - an interior of a forest. The artist is not interested in the model's face, the figure hides in the hair with modesty, enhancing the note of sensuality intrinsic to the opera. Executed quickly, freely, focused, with the model in front, on a small plywood sheet (as Grigorescu liked), the work is pure painting without story, vibrantly modeled for nude, suggestion of fresh vegetation for the area of ​​land with grass and flowers on which the body is laid. The nerve and rhythm of the touch interweaving with discreet blue accents (the flowers) seem to repeat the forest fragment from the painting Andreescu at Barbizon (1879-1880). Placing the present work in one of the French moments of the Grigorescian opera, probably after the training epoch at Barbizon, corresponds, we believe, with the pictorial grammar of the artist in the 1870s. Compared to other works with a similar theme such as Sleeping Nymph (Vlahuţă, 1910, p. 126), Entering the Bath (Vlahuţă, p.167), Nude Study (Vlahuţă, plate p.119), Under the Tent (Vlahuţă, p. 49), the present painting stands out with the freshness of direct execution, not being a recurrence or a studio completion. (I.B.)

References

"Catalog of works exhibited at the jubilee exhibition of 1906", Institute of Graphic Arts "Carol Gőbl", Bucharest, 1906. VLAHUȚĂ, Alexandru, "The Painter N.I.Grigorescu. His Life and Work", Edition of the Schools' House, Bucharest, Socec/Co Graphic Workshops, 1910. PETRAȘCU, Nicolae, "N.Grigorescu", Bucovina Typography, I.E. Torouţiu, Bucharest, 1930. JIANU, Ionel, "Grigoresco", Foreign Language Editions, Bucharest, 1956. NOCHLIN, Linda, "Courbet", Thames & Hudson, London, 2007.

Dimensions

width 22.5 cm, height 13.5 cm

Description

ulei pe lemn, signed lower right, in red, "Grigorescu"

Research information

The work is classified in the Fund category of the Mobile National Cultural Heritage, by the order of the Minister of Culture, no. 2422, from 09.08.2012. The work was part of the exhibition "Nicolae Grigorescu. Anniversary Exhibition", Arad Museum Complex in collaboration with Art Safari, Arad, 14 May - 16 June 2024.

Dating

cca. 1870

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