21. The Man in the Red Hat [1988]

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Head of the Romanian Postmodern & Contemporary Art Evaluation Office

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21. The Man in the Red Hat [1988]

Mircea Ciobanu

1950, Bucureşti - 1991, Geneva

Estimate:

EUR 2.000 - 4.000

Sold

EUR 3.500

ulei pe pânză, 83 x 70 cm, signed and dated upper right, in red, "Ciobanu, (19)88"

Although he initially decided to attend the Faculty of Architecture, the young Mircea Ciobanu secretly enrolled and was the first admitted to the Academy of Fine Arts in 1969. He was a student of Corneliu Baba, so it is not surprising that we find in his works the influence of his master. Nicknamed an alchemist of painting, Mircea Ciobanu himself was a veritable baroque presence and borrowed from his works the characteristics of Rembrandt, Goya or El Greco. We will also find Flemish reminiscences in the realization of chiaroscuro, as well as clear references to Commedia dell’arte, as happens in this work. Starting from 1981, the artist settled in Switzerland and began to have contact with important personalities of art and universal culture. He will establish a friendship with Annie Chaplin, the daughter of Charlie Chaplin, who will acquire, over time, several works created by the artist. As he moved abroad, he would constantly exhibit on renowned gallery pedestals and become increasingly present in reputable collections. Contemplating on his work, we find a magical universe where a variety of muses are gathered together: harlequins, musicians, nymphs, horses and children. The harlequin and the mad king, themes that we also find recurrently in the work of his master, will arouse the artist's interest and will succeed in a host of works where protagonists with human traits intersect with puppets, dolls, creatures such as the cat or the bird, but also theatrical decors and costumes built with the same grandiloquence. The artist's preferred technique is the classic one, with obvious Renaissance valences, and the symbol, myths and stories are ubiquitous.

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