35. Magnolias and Egyptian vases [1930-1934]

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35. Magnolias and Egyptian vases [1930-1934]

Leon Biju

1880, Bucureşti - 1970, Bucureşti

Estimate:

EUR 1.000 - 1.800

Sold

EUR 2.000

References

OCTAVIAN, Tudor, "Forgotten Romanian Painters", Noi Media Print Publishing House, Bucharest, 2003. BADEA-PĂUN, Gabriel, "Romanian Painters in France", Noi Media Print Publishing House, Bucharest, 2012.

oil on cardboard, 55.5 x 51.5 cm, signed and located bottom right, in red, "L.A. Biju, Egypto"

Research information

The artwork participated in the artist's personal exhibition, Dalles Hall, February 1934, under the name "Still Life (Magnolia)", cat. 134.

In 1899, Leon Alexandru Biju enrolled in the School of Fine Arts in Bucharest, where he was first admitted out of a total of 19 competitors and took courses from George Demetrescu Mirea, Ipolit Strâmbu, and Dimitrie Serafim. He graduated in 1906 under the auspices of distinction and the medal offered by the Bucharest educational unit. He simultaneously studied in the singing section of the Conservatory, but he focused mostly on painting studies and did not also graduate from the Conservatory. He was a member of the Artistic Youth, where he frequently exhibited, but also the founder of the Fine Arts Union, alongside other artists of the time such as Adam Bălțatu, Paul Molda, or Lucian Grigorescu. Leon Biju is well known in the history of Romanian art particularly for his craftsmanship in rendering still lifes with flowers. Chrysanthemums, tulips, or roses often occupy the foreground of his works and present themselves to viewers in shades of red, white, or yellow. In the work here, the artist has taken the oriental motif and transposed it in the form of clay vessels, which undoubtedly contribute to the accentuation of the contrast between the pure white of the flowers and the earthy shades of the vessels. The signature reveals a very important detail, namely the place where the work was created: "Egypto". The work was therefore inspired by Biju's exotic trip made between 1930-1934. The work also participated in the artist's personal exhibition at the Dalles Hall, in February 1934, under the name "Still Life (Magnolia)", catalog number 134. The trip to Egypt did not just inspire landscapes or compositions with characters; but also still lifes with flowers, where the exotic vein is flawlessly introduced through the stylistic effects.

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