Nicolae Tonitza
Nicolae Tonitza | |
---|---|
Post-impressionism Expressionism | |
Spouse |
Ecaterina Climescu (m. 1913) |
Patron(s) | Krikor Zambaccian |
Military career | |
Allegiance | Kingdom of Romania |
Service/ | Romanian Army |
Years of service | 1916–1918 |
Battles/wars | Battle of Turtucaia |
Awards | Order of Michael the Brave |
Signature |
Nicolae Tonitza (Romanian pronunciation:
Biography
Born in
In 1908 he left for
After his return, Tonitza painted
In 1916, after Romania entered the conflict, Tonitza was drafted into the Army and fought from 20 to 25 August with the 84th Infantry Regiment at the Battle of Turtucaia.[7] Wounded, he fell prisoner to the Bulgarians, and was sent to an internment camp in Kardzhali, together with fellow painter Sever Burada and the sculptor Horia Boambă.[8] There, he became ill with malaria and rheumatism, which would plague him until his death.[9] For his valor in battle, Tonitza was awarded in November 1916 the Order of Michael the Brave, 3rd class.[10] He was set free and returned in April 1918.[9][7]
During the 1920s, he was a member of the Arta Română group (alongside
In 1921, Tonitza expanded his range, painting
Later, he became the editor of the art magazine Artele Frumoase, and, in 1922, traveled to
Despite his fame, he continued to live an impoverished and hectic existence, which probably contributed to the decline of his health.[4] By 1931, he was dividing his time between Bucharest and Constanța, having agreed to paint the walls of Saint George's Church in the latter city.[4] Tonitza was angered by the reception of his work in Constanța, declaring himself insulted after he was made to showcase his designs in competition to lesser-known artists.[4] Eventually, he received the commission, and spent the next two years at work on the murals, while distancing himself from Grupul celor patru.[4]
Upon Dimitrescu's death in 1933, Tonitza held his chair at the Fine Arts Academy in Iași.
According to Zambaccian, Tonitza's early association with socialism was partly due to the interest taken in him by the leftist press, who was willing to reward his contributions at a time when "one could not live solely by painting".[4] The same source stated that the artist later refrained from expressing political opinions, and, on one occasion during the 1930s, jokingly referred to himself as "a supporter of Petre P. Carp"[5] (the Conservative leader had died in 1919). Nevertheless, he signed, alongside several other prominent cultural figures, an appeal to tighten cultural connections between Romania and the Soviet Union, leading to the creation of Societatea pentru întreținerea raporturilor culturale dintre România și Uniunea Sovietică (the Society for Maintaining Cultural Links between Romania and the Soviet Union) in May 1935 (see Amicii URSS).[17]
He fell severely ill in 1937,[18] and died three years later. He is buried at the Ghencea Cemetery, in Bucharest.
Art
Owing much to the art of his predecessor
Evidencing his "tormented life" and "fantasy-driven and bohemian lifestyle", Zambaccian wondered if these had not been the source of Tonitza's "ingenious art, full of chromatic joys that are nonetheless transited by melancholia".[4] He drew a direct comparison between the artist's innovative presence in painting and George Bacovia's Symbolist poetry.[4]
During his stay abroad, Nicolae Tonitza was influenced by the works of
The early art produced by these influences was described in Sburătorul by Şirato, Tonitza's friend, as "paintings which are [in fact] drawings with a light resonance of intellectualism";[24] during the period, Rampa magazine hailed the painter as "A priest of humanitarian ideas, of ideas demanding the attention of present-day world leaders, with a more and more clear and audacious tone".[25]
Most of his works are serene in tones, in contrast with those expressing Tonitza's involvement in social issues. They proposed a classical aesthetical ideal, viewing art as a treasurer of spiritual values.
Works
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Seaside
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Sf. Spiridon Square in Iași (1906)
-
1919 cartoon
-
1920 cartoon
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The Man of a New World, portrait of Gala Galaction (1920)
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1922 cartoon
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The Forester's Daughter (1924)
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Portrait of a Child (1926)
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The Garden in Văleni (1926)
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Nude (1927)
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Portrait of a girl (19xx)
Notes
- ^ Drăguţ et al., p.191, 192, 193; Grigorescu, p.432; Șorban, p.14-26
- ^ a b c d e Șorban, p.73
- ^ Șorban, p.13-14, 30
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Zambaccian
- ^ a b c d e f Tonitza, in Zambaccian
- ^ Șorban, p.73-74; Zambaccian
- ^ a b Laura Sînziana Cuciuc Romanescu (2013). "Nicolae Tonitza, The Painter From Turtucaia". Revista Româna de Studii Eurasiatice. 9 (1/2): 53–61.
- ^ "Pictorul Nicolae Tonitza "povestit" de strănepoata Andra Tonitza". www.orizonturiculturale.ro (in Romanian). Retrieved March 31, 2021.
- ^ a b Șorban, p.74
- ^ Ministerul de Răsboiu, Anuarul ofițerilor și drapelelor Armatei Române cărora li s-au conferit ordinul „Mihai Viteazul”, Atelierele grafice „Socec & Co”, București, 1930, p.69
- ^ Șorban, p.74-75; Zambaccian
- ^ Drăguţ et al., p.192-196; Grigorescu, p.464; Șorban, p.15-30, 74; Zambaccian
- ^ Şorban, p.35, 74; Zambaccian
- ^ Șorban, p.75
- ^ Șorban, p.75; Zambaccian
- ^ Șorban, p.76; Zambaccian
- ^ Ioniță, p.61
- ^ Șorban, p.76-77
- ^ Drăguţ et al., p.193, 196; Şorban, p.32-33; Zambaccian
- ^ Şorban, p.18-20
- ^ Șorban, p.20-21, 24
- ^ a b Drăguţ et al., p.193; Grigorescu, p.432
- ^ Drăguţ et al., p.192; Șorban, p.24, 26-28
- ^ Șirato, in Zambaccian
- ^ Rampa, in Zambaccian
- ^ Drăguţ et al., p.193-195, 196; Șorban, p.30, 66
- ^ Drăguț et al., p.194-195; Grigorescu, p.110, 286, 432; Șorban, p.44-45
References
- Vasile Drăguţ, Vasile Florea, Dan Grigorescu, Marin Mihalache, Pictura românească în imagini ("Romanian Painting in Images"), Editura Meridiane, Bucharest, 1970
- Dan Grigorescu, Istoria unei generații pierdute: expresioniștii ("The History of a Lost Generation: the Expressionists"), Editura Eminescu, Bucharest, 1980
- Gh. I. Ioniță, "«Un succes al spiritului de solidaritate»" ("«A Success for the Spirit of Solidarity»"), in Magazin Istoric, October 1972
- Raul Șorban, Nicolae Tonitza, Editura Meridiane, Bucharest, 1965
- (in Romanian) Krikor Zambaccian, "Chapter XII: Tonitza", in Însemnările unui amator de artă ("The Recordings of an Art Aficionado"), published and hosted by LiterNet
External links
- (in French) Illustrated biography