8. Port in the South of France [1928]

Henri Catargi's immersion into the Parisian cultural and academic landscape facilitated his exposure to the great masters housed in Europe's renowned museums. Enchanted by the allure of French bohemia, the artist held his first solo exhibition in Paris in 1922. The following year, the Maison d’Art in Bucharest hosted the first Romanian ”H.H. Catargi” solo exhibition, with the artist making his debut at the Official Salon in 1924. From the outset, the artist demonstrated his fine analysis of human typology, basing his work on rigor and depth, detracting from aesthetics and purely decorative spirit. His works are noteworthy for their subtle color harmonies, featuring flat, meticulously differentiated brush strokes. The lyricism of color and light reveal Catargi in a dual guise: a painter-poet of nature and human character. Among his numerous portraits, he also created a thematic cycle dedicated to landscape, with French vistas being particularly memorable. These impressions compelled the artist to transpose them using his artistic techniques on canvas or cardboard. Henri Catargi borrowed from the geometric styles practiced by Lhote, consistently using neutral color palettes. As can be observed, the artist constructs his oeuvre from a few subtle shades, systematically separating them to depict distinct elements in his work. The sensitive thematic differentiation, marked by stages that represent the artist's artistic evolution, is intensified through a balance of color relations.

References

Exhibition Catalogue "H.H. Catargi", Art Museum of the S.R.R., Bucharest, 1986-1987. CEBUC, Alexandru, "H. H. Catargi", Meridiane Publishing House, Bucharest, 1987.

Dimensions

width 46 cm, height 34 cm

Description

ulei pe pânză, signed and dated bottom left, in black, "H.H. Catargi, (19)28"

Dating

1928

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