113. Portrait of Cella Serghi [1948]

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113. Portrait of Cella Serghi [1948]

Magdalena Rădulescu

1902, Râmnicu Vâlcea - 1983, Paris

Estimate:

EUR 3.000 - 5.000

Not sold

References

DEAC, Mircea, "Magdalena Rădulescu", Meridiane Publishing, Bucharest, 1980. "Magdalena Rădulescu. Painting and graphic art", National Museum of Art of Romania, Bucharest, 1994. ILNIȚCHI-ARDELEAN, Alexandra, "Magdalena Rădulescu", Art Museum Brasov, Brasov, 2022.

oil on canvas, 96.5 x 71.5 cm, Signed and dated bottom right, in brown, "Magdalena Rădulescu, 1948"

Magdalena Rădulescu undertakes a laborious creative process in which symbolism, expressionism, and folk art gradually intertwine. The artist manages to harmonize elements that are, apparently, heterogeneous. The inexhaustible resource in her creative imagination - childhood - is a popular recurring theme in her canvases. The oriental fragrance of Dobrogea will remain deeply embedded in the mind of Magdalena Rădulescu. She lived successively in Constanța and Galați, geographical placements under the protection of which she had the chance to come into direct contact with oriental dances and costumes, but also with Tatars and odalisques that we will meet later in her works. The figures of simple people will take on much higher meanings in her work. In a ritualistic manner, Magdalena Rădulescu will constantly revisit themes such as "hora" or "călușarii". The spectacle, understood as the world of theater, circus, or dance, will also serve her as a source of inspiration. Magdalena Rădulescu's works appear as a spiritual inheritance that the artist feels responsible to pass on further. However, thematically, Magdalena Rădulescu will break through beyond the traditional vein and the world of the spectacle and will also make a name for herself in portraiture. She will integrate into the literary-artistic circles of the time and will become friends with personalities such as Cella Serghi, Petru Comarnescu, Miron Radu Paraschivescu, Yvonne Stahl, Lilly Carandino, Tantzi Cocea, or Clody Bertola. She will form a close friendship with Cella Serghi, which is why she will often artistically transcribe her into her canvases. With blonde curls and red lips, the protagonist stands out even in this artwork. Cella Serghi was one of the significant female voices of interwar literature. A graduate of the Faculty of Law, she practiced law, but continued to wield her pen in prose, reports, and theatrical chronicles that enjoyed real success. She debuted with the novel "Spider's Web", which later became a milestone in her creative economy, and her talent was encouraged and supported by writers such as Liviu Rebreanu, Mihail Sebastian, or Camil Petrescu.

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