40. The Twelve Emperor's Daughters

Nicolae Vermont's compositions initially had a religious character. In 1893 the artist exhibited the work "The Road to Golgotha" within the Artistic Circle association. Biblical motifs continued to appear in Vermont's work in pieces such as "Suzana at the Bath", "The Stoning of St. Stephen" or "The Resurrection of Jairus' daughter". We will therefore feel the influence of the Munich school and the penchant for biblical stories. We will notice the attempt to replicate the drama proposed by Rembrandt, whose avid admirer was the Romanian artist. However, he will begin to turn his attention to allegorical compositions, taking up legends like that of Bacchus. The year 1907 gave him the mission to decorate with his paintings various rooms of the Cantacuzino palace, inspired by the history of this family. Nicolae Vermont will abandon the declamatory tone promoted by other colleagues of his generation and will not submit to the grandiloquent artistry. He will continue to create decorative paintings for various boyar houses, most often invoking mythological scenes dominated by shades of pink and lilac. The same color palette will extend to the following work, which presents a fairy tale scene, with daughters of emperors dressed in long, distinguished dresses; with golden hair pouring freely over the girls' shoulders. The magical framework is crossed by pastel coloring, with uninterrupted succession of pink, orange, lilac, blue, green, or ochre. We note the swans carving their way on the lake and the castle glimpsed in the background of the work; as well as the forest that surrounds the flow of water, roses and wildflowers picked by the protagonists. Some of Vermont's muses wear flowers in their hair, while a distinct character stands out due to the imposing crown adorning her hair. The scene, taken indeed from the fairy tale "The Twelve Emperor's Daughters", was intensely represented by artists of the time. We find instant shots that depict the charming setting as in the works of Kimon Loghi or Stefan Popescu. The narrative thread, characteristic of Petre Ispirescu, introduces us to a universe full of hope, perseverance and love.

References

PAVEL, Amelia; IONESCU, Radu, ”Nicolae Vermont", The Academy Publishing House of the People's Republic of Romania, Bucharest, 1958.

Dimensions

width 37.5 cm, height 23.5 cm

Description

ulei pe carton, signed bottom right, in black, "N. Vermont"

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