23. House in Vlaici [the 20s]

Camil Ressu did not idealise rustic life, but he painted it with all its difficulties and obstacles. One of the major influences on his work will be the encounter with the small village in Olt County where he will often return. He will be present in Vlaici at the start of the past century, invited by the collector Alexandru Bogdan-Pitești. Initially, he studies and creates drawings which he will then transpose in oil, on canvas. He goes beyond the academic precepts acquired during the few months spent in Munich and constructs his own plastic semantics, eloquent and well-structured. He frequently returns to Vlaici over time, thus his life becomes divided between the uniformity of urban existence and the prolific experiences that rural life presents to him. He uses the direct contact with the peasants, in order to develop a deeply subjective vision. The artist insists to go deeper in the psychology of the represented characters, so he will provoke discussions and insist on knowing their models. This way, he identifies the true aspects of rural life, he will also transpose into works where he no longer focuses on outlining the characters. He organizes his compositions horizontally and realizes authentic frescoes of the villages from Olt, Moldova and Vrancea. His compositions are balanced and he retains the real proportions; he thoroughly constructs his drawings, subduing the colour. He employs a predominantly linear rhythm and a luminous chromatic in his works, in an attempt to emphasize the predominant elements in his works. The artist's works exemplifies life, work, and the traditions of rural life, but they sometimes reveal peaceful moments. When it comes to landscapes, Camil Ressu will focus mainly on the picturesque nature, sketching sinuous outlines of trees and hills, but will also recreate the beauty of rural houses with white walls and colourful roofs. The lapidary realism that Ressu embraces is particularly revealed to us in the cool tones bathed in sunlight, in the broad surfaces of light and shadow, and in the truthful rendering of volumes and rhythms.

References

TEODORU, Rada, 'Camil Ressu', Meridiane Publishing House, Bucharest, 1962. COSMA, Gheorghe, 'Camil Ressu', Meridiane Publishing House, Bucharest, 1967. SCHOBEL, Doina, Catalogue of the retrospective exhibition 'Camil Ressu', Bucharest, 1981.

Dimensions

width 42 cm, height 32 cm, custom 32 × 42 cm

Description

oil on cardboard, signed bottom right, in black, 'C. Ressu'

Lot.notes

on the back, a study for a larger landscape is painted.

Dating

the 20s

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