15. Peasant Girl With a Spindle [cca. 1924]

Unlike his predecessor - the Câmpina master - Băncilă does not render rustic life idyllically; instead, he paints it on the canvas observing its authenticity, with all its ups and downs. With a multitude of works revolving around the human being, Băncilă constantly reaffirms himself in Romanian art. The rural subjects are illustrated by suggestive titles, such as "Ploughing", "Sowing", or "Weeding". Slaves of the land they work, Băncilă’s protagonists are often seen with calloused hands and faces burnt by the sun, illustrating their social category. The artist is not interested in the painting’s aesthetic functionality, but rather in the faithful rendering of reality. He thus outlines the silhouettes of his protagonists while toiling, as indicated by the titles: "Woman Wiping Plates", "Doing Laundry", "Laundrywoman", or "Peasant Woman Spinning Flax". He uses austere colours, and brownish red, ochre or brown shades are predominant. The hardness of the paste is tamed by two bright white strokes, but Băncilă focuses on the choice of colour palette in enhancing the psychology of the depicted characters. He thus builds interpretative portraits, whose decorative function is cancelled by the profound essence the artist imprints on his work. (D.C.)

References

SĂTEANU, C., "Pictorul Octav Băncilă" ("The Painter Octav Băncilă"), in "Arta și Arheologia" ("Art and Archaeology"), year III, fascicle 4, 1930, p. 11-24. COMAN, Anton, "Octav Băncilă", State Publishing House for Literature and Art, Bucharest, 1954.

Dimensions

width 52 cm, height 62 cm, custom 62 × 52 cm

Description

oil on cardboard, signed bottom left, in ochre, "Octav Băncilă"

Dating

cca. 1924

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