Love Of Life.Love Of Life In The Countryside

Nicolae Grigorescu (1838-1907) is the founding father of Romanian modern painting. He was a road opener and his influence has marked the generations of painters hat followed him. He isn’t just one of the most well known names in Romanian (?)ainting, but a real symbol of Romanian art. The thesis opens with an introduction followed by a brief but necessary biography of the artist; necessary as the events in his life has influenced his style, his themes and his vision. The second chapter describes Grigorescu’s evolution from the beginning of his artistic career to the final stage when ne reaches his artistic maturity and is recognized as the founding father of Romanian nodern painting. This chapter takes us on a journey from the beginning as a religious cons and church painter, through his formation period in France and the so called ’white period" when his eyesight was failing the artist. The chapter titled Life in the countryside as seen by Nicolae Grigorescu discusses his techniques used in painting andscapes strongly influenced by the French school of Barbizon and his connections to mpressionist painters. His road trips in the countryside are remembered here. As it will (?)e seen Grigorescu has travelled and on many occasions settled, sometimes for very ong periods of time, in the countryside in a frenetic search for those idyllic landscapes ind the perfect human subjects. His depictions of places, people and daily life in the rural world have an immense ethnographic value. Grigorescu’s paintings act as window open towards the Romanian village and gives us a description of the most conic symbols of the Romanian rural world.Nicolae Grigorescu was a prolific painter with almost 4000 pa intings executed during his artistic career that spans over six lecades. His themes were various but as it will be seen in chapter four there are some ecurring themes that were preferred by the artist and are central to the idea of Nicolae Grigorescu seen as an artist dedicated to the Romanian rural space:the rural landscapes, he village, the inns, fairs and markets, his famous series of carts with oxen, his beloved (?)ortraits or landscapes with shepherds, and the marvelous portraits young peasant girls.In the last part of the thesis one can find pictures of some of his masterpieces.The conclusions can be clearly drawn; Nicolae Grigorescu is not only the master of the Romanian rural landscape but also the founding father of the Romanian modern (?)ainting. His talent has influenced generations of painters and he is responsible for the establishment of a new style and themes deeply rooted in the Romanian values, which have constituted the foundation of a truly Romanian way of painting.