81. Peasant Girl with Basket [anii '20]

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81. Peasant Girl with Basket [anii '20]

Nicolae Vermont

1866, Bacău - 1932, Bucureşti

Estimate:

EUR 2.000 - 3.500

Sold

EUR 5.500

References

PAVEL, Amelia, IONESCU, Radu, "Nicolae Vermont", Publishing House of the People's Republic Academy, 1958 DEAC, Mircea, "Nicolae Vermont", Meridiane Publishing, 1973 VRANCEA, Angela, "N. Vermont", State Publishing House for Literature and Art, 1956

oil on plywood, 49 x 29 cm, signed bottom right, in white, "Nicolae Vermont"

From the beginning of his artistic journey, Vermont positions himself as a careful and skilled portraitist. At the beginning of his artistic activity, Vermont's portraits emphasize psychological characterization and the outlining of the moral particulars of the subject portrayed - among these we mention "Workers at the table" and "Portrait of a man". Later, after 1905, Vermont immortalizes social features (for example the occupation, as he does for "The Chimney Sweeper" and "Italian Piper"), suggesting the physical and spiritual transformations that a certain type of activity exerts on individuals. The peak of his artistic creation occurs between 1910 and 1920, marked by a constant concern for the human figure, which he studied closely, creating a whole gallery of female portraits that dignify and empathetically portray the faces of simple people. His style becomes recognizable through the sober realism, warm light, and clear composition. The precise drawing and clear construction are constants of a stylistic genre that rejects the artifice, preferring direct observation and humanist sensitivity. The theme that stands out during this period revolves around peasant girls, captured in various postures - with white or yellow headscarfs, young girls with jugs, or women at the well. Among these, we mention "Beautiful florist," "Peasant girl with white headscarf," "Peasant girl with a jug," and "Peasant girl at the well." This work is a representative one of this maturity period. The composition presents a portrait of a woman wearing a traditional Romanian costume with a headscarf, in a nearly choreographic pose. The color palette is discreet, dominated by neutral tones - cream, gray, brown, brick - with subtle accents of bright red in the waist area. The background is treated simply, concentrating the viewer’s attention on the expression and gesture of the female character, who carries a wicker basket on her shoulder. Vermont manages to create a simple atmosphere, seemingly catching the model spontaneously during household chores, demonstrating that he knows not only to decipher the meaning of physiognomies, but to also evoke the living conditions of the people he portrays. (L.M.)

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