99. Peasant Woman with Headscarf

The photos of the lot are informative and indicative, and cannot provide a highly detailed view of the object from all angles. We recommend a careful physical inspection of the lot before bidding.

99. Peasant Woman with Headscarf

Nicolae Grigorescu

1838, Pitaru, Dâmboviţa - 1907, Câmpina

Estimate:

EUR 25.000 - 45.000

Sold

EUR 50.000

References

OPRESCU, George, "Nicolae Grigorescu: maturitatea şi ultimii ani", Ed. Meridiane, 1970
VLAHUŢĂ, Alexandru," Pictorul Nicolae Grigorescu", Bucureşti, 1910

oil on wood, 34 x 27 cm, 27x34, signed lower left "Grigorescu", in red

The impression of authentic Romanian spirit given by Grigorescu's portraits comes from his practice of life drawing, which gave him the chance to look closely at the particulars of the character and to note suggestive details. However, in his last years, the artist often painted from memory his most beloved subjects, girls with hayforks, shepherdesses with sheep, shepherds with a dog by their side, as his contact with models became less frequent. The individualised figure of the "Peasant girl with a headscarf" shows the fact that the artist worked with a model that had attracted him, and his wide, generous brushstrokes, blending harmoniously the shades of her skin, show the artist's sure hand. Using a familiar recipe, in this semi-profile bust portrait, Grigorescu manages to easily highlight the features he wants best. The traditional costume is shown in free, generous brushstrokes, enough to show us the characteristics of her clothes. The stress falls on the peasant girl's face, a stylistic mark of Grigorescu from the entire artistic period he spent in our country. When he worked on portraits, even though dedicated to a symbol - the Romanian peasant - the face and the personality of the character prevailed in everything related to the composition and the finishing of his paintings.

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