193. Young Parisian Woman

1891 marked the final period of studies for Ștefan Luchian, a period when, to a large extent, the painter completed his education started in the classrooms of the School of Fine Arts. Luchian’s first stay in Paris appears to be more related to a cultural sojourn, as the young painter’s affiliation to a free academy or an artist’s studio is unknown. As a matter of fact, his presence in Paris is rarely mentioned, one being related to his participation in the activities of the League for the Cultural Unity of All Romanians, also known as the Cultural League, organisation which began its activity in January 1891. In Paris at the time, personalities such as Nicolae Iorga (scholar of the École Pratigue des Hautes Études, history – philosophy department) were also attending study courses, especially alongside an important series of Romanian artists: the painter, friend and future collaborator Constantin Artachino, Alexandru Bănulescu, I. Bălănescu, Mihail Simonidy, Dimitrie Serafim or sculptor D.D. Mirea. Most of these artists could be found in the famous workshops of the Julian Academy, one of the most important private academies of the modern period. The period spent by Luchian at the Julian Academy and the professors with whom he would sit at the weekly or bi-weekly correction represents the most important feature for researches of the artist’s Parisian period. Robert-Fleury and Bouguereau (professor since 1875), the most important figures of the Academy, but also of the School of Fine Arts (the same Bouguereau had been a professor here since 1888) and of the Official Salon, featured for the professors mentioned by Luchian in his exhibitions of 1894 and 1895 in Romania, as provided by the regulation. Aside from the months spent at the Academy (for only one semester seems to include his activity at the school), Luchian discovered Paris at the end of the 19th century – the Impressionists were widely accepted and appreciated, Manet’s artistry was reconfirmed and exhibited in public places, Monet exhibited the "Haystacks" (1891) and "Poplars" (1892) series, Neo-impressionists were also starting to redefine modernity, with names such as Seurat, Signac or Pissarro forever establishing themselves in world painting. Luchian completed his visual education through visits to the museums and through the creation of replicas of works of old masters, practice taken over from his study visit to Munich. At the Louvre and in Luxembourg, the painter would gather and counterbalance what he could see at the private exhibitions or in the Paris salons during the 1891-1893 period. In terms of Luchian’s painting and what became for a few years a common denominator for Parisian stylistic reminiscences, the creation of Édouard Manet (1832-1883) would represent the central point of the Romanian painter’s interests. Even if Luchian later worked in the spirit of Post-impressionistic creation, his vision affinities were taken from Manet’s painting, deemed from the tenth decade of the 19th century as the precursor of both Impressionism and Post-Impressionism. As a final note on the extraordinary period spent by Ștefan Luchian in Paris, and what it meant to him, we may even remember some of artist’s own words, who, almost 15 years later, would confess to his good friend and supporter, Virgil Cioflec: “I was going down St. Michel Blvd., happy to be able to walk as any man and marvelled and could not believe that I could suddenly creep through this enormous crowd of people and carriages. I was heading towards the Luxembourg Museum, very eager to see the new Impressionists’ halls. I was so pleased by those places, which I knew so well 14 years ago, where I forged so many dreams…” (letter addressed to Virgil Cioflec, 14 November 1906).

Literatura

ENESCU, Theodor, "Ştefan Luchian: Pictură. Pastel. Acuarelă. Desen", Institutul Cultural Român, Bucureşti, 2007
JIANU, Ionel, "Luchian", Ed. Căminul Artei, Bucureşti, 1947
LASSAIGNE, Jacques, "Ştefan Luchian", Ed. Meridiane, Bucureşti, 1972
OPRESCU, George, "Maeştrii picturii româneşti în secolul XIX: (Grigorescu, Andreescu, Luchian)", Fundaţia Regală pentru Literatură şi Artă, 1947

Dimenzije

width 35 cm, height 43 cm

Opis

oil and gouache on canvas glued on cardboard, signed left side, in brown, "LUKIAN S."

Informacije o istraživanju

Opera este reprodusă în monografia "Luchian", Petru Comarnescu, Ionel Jianu, E.S.P.L.A., București, 1956 la cat. 38, pag. 51, sub titlul "Portret de femeie". Opera este catalogată și reprodusă în "Ștefan Luchian. Pictură, pastel, acuarelă, desen", catalog critic de Theodor Enescu, prefață de Andrei Pleșu, Editura Institutul Cultural Român, București, 2007, cat. 22, pag. 47, sub titlul "Profil de fată".

PODRIJETLO

the historic collection of Mathilda Rădoi (1864-?); since the interwar period, the historic collection of Barbu Theodorescu (1905-1979), editor, publisher and literary historian, a close friend of Nicolae Iorga. Mathilda Rădoi, born Luchian, the cousin of Ștefan Luchian, was born in the family of Gheorghe Luchian (the painter's uncle) and Alexandrina I. Movilă. The two cousins were dear friends, and Luchian even compared her to a sister. He made 4 portraits of her between 1892 and 1904 and visited her several times at her estate in Filipeștii de Pădure: "but I forgot to tell you I am here at a cousin's home, cheerful and kind, a type of true Romanian, who takes care of me better than a sister" (in a letter to Virgil Cioflec in August 1903). Luchian also made the decorative painting in the villa that Mathilda Rădoi built in the centre of Bucharest (Oțetari Street) starting with 1896, which remains a unique document in Ștefan Luchian's career as a fresco painter.

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