87. Petunias

Unlike other Romanian artists who also followed the path to Paris and Munich, and remained faithful to the cultural environment they first met, Octav Băncilă will feel more attracted by the Bavarian bohemian environment. His work is placed on the borderline between the description of everyday life, with all its joys and tragedies, and the contemplation of allegories that oppose reality. With a multitude of works at the centre of which the human being revolves, Băncilă affirms himself permanently in the Romanian art. Petunias, carnations, lilacs, peonies, roses, poppies or snowdrops give his canvases a chromatic implosion in which the artist incorporates all his creative pathos. Whether he paints field flowers or flowers found in his own garden, Octav Băncilă links the plant motif with human emotion and perspective. Visceral and repetitive tints or paste applied in thick layers become the technical specificities that are constantly found in the artist's work. This time around, it's a more restrained colour palette, with shades of pink, white or blue taking precedence over the usual touches of ochre, cherry or purple. The artist therefore chooses to inscribe the contours, volumes and inviting colours of the petunias deep into the canvas. The diversity of shapes and colours, as well as positioning and repetition, introduces us to a colourful universe. The floral paintings become true portraits of the human emotion that the artist knew how to transcribe so well in inanimate elements.

References

COMAN, Anton, 'Băncilă', State Publishing House for Literature and Art, Bucharest, 1954.

Dimensions

width 77 cm, height 70 cm, custom 70 × 77 cm

Description

oil on canvas, signed upper right, in ochre, 'Băncilă'

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