30. Le coin musical [1882]

Theodor Aman's work, is, par excellence, the immeasurable testimony of his artistic heritage, as, together with the landscape, still life would dominate the last decade of his artistic activity. The first attempts would be the floral motifs inspired by Caravaggio, for whom the main focus was the material and realistic nature of the subject. Caravaggio would serve him as a spiritual guide for a thorough study of nature, which would generate a loyal naturalism, with a detailed rendering of the ephemeral components of the depicted objects. In the second stage of creation, the artist would discover the Baroque symbolism of Flemish and Dutch origins, where, apart from a virtuous execution of reality, the new symbolic details will build a story between the observer and the work. These symbolic details will also be transposed into his paintings. His numerous travels to the major European cities would help Aman deepen his knowledge of understanding art. Paris, Constantinople, Crimea, Italy, Rome, Venice or Milan are the places where he would often travel to, in order to pursue his academic studies further. In his still life works, we often encounter the vanitas theme, a symbolic theme present in biblical writings under King Solomon's words, Vanitas vanitatum, et omnia vanitas, expressing the ephemeral notion of life and the surrounding world. His drawing would be a precise one, as he creates a composition tracing the loyalty of reality and chromatic harmony, using balanced lights and shadows, choosing miniature details, even when he paints in larger size. The fine paintbrush, handled with a careful craftsmanship, reveals aspects of the academic years, a technique which would offer his painting style a noble monumentality. The material nature of the surfaces which he renders in his works is impeccably achieved, as the realistic nature of the objects can be easily perceived by the observer. In the current work we discover symbolic objects, which the artist has not chosen randomly. A few music sheets which seem to have been flicked through in the lower right corner, a small crystal perfume bottle placed on a jewellery case decorated with red velvet and golden details, they all sketch the aforementioned ephemeral nature. Aman employs a game of textures, with the white gloves juxtaposed with the closed fan, creating a realistic and balanced representation between objects and nature. A Victorian ring, placed separately from the other props, catches the observer's attention, emphasizing the vanitas character. Most of the time, fresh flowers represent the delicate note, counterbalancing the composition through chromatics and textures. The centrepiece is the white marble sculpture by Auguste-Hyacinthe Debay, embraced by flowers, which is the element connecting the work's two registers. The sculpture represent children Cain and Abel, perfectly cuddled in the arms of their mother, Eve. It is a perfect opportunity to meditate on the strong contrast between this idyllic moment, and the treason, violence and death, which would separate the two brothers. Theodor Aman would use this sculpture also in other still life works, in order to emphasize the boundary between life and death, as well as the ephemeral nature of life. (A.A.)

References

Greta Șuteu, Aman-Pictor. Theodor Aman Museum painting repertory, Bucharest Museum Publishing House, Bucharest, 2017 Centenar Theodor Aman, Venus Publishing House, Bucharest, 1991 Theodor Aman, EDIMPEX Art Collection, Bucharest, January 1995 Vasile Florea, Theodor Aman, Meridiane Publishing House, Bucharest, 1972

Dimensions

width 62 cm, height 94 cm

Description

oil on canvas, signed and dated upper right, with brown, "Th. Aman, 1882"

Dating

1882

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