Nicolae Grigorescu

Nicolae Grigorescu (May 15, 1838 – July 21, 1907) was one of the founders of modern Romanian  painting.

Having studied at École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, he had contact with Pierre-Auguste Renoir, after which he left Paris to join the Barbizon school, where he adopted the „en plein art” way of painting, which was also important in Impressionism.

His paintings were shown at the Paris Salon in 1868, at the Bucharest Exhibitions of Living Artists (since 1870) and at the Art Exhibitions of the "Les Amis des Beaux-Arts" Society (since 1873).

 For most of his last decades, Grigorescu spend time either painting in Paris or, especially after 1890, in Câmpina, where he started his famous series of pastorales. He was named honorary member of the Romanian Academy in 1899

The uniqueness of his style and vision is to be remarked in portraits (D. Grecescu, Carol Davila, Andreescu at Barbizon), in self-portraits, in his compositions on the Independence War (Atacul de la Smardan/Attack at Smardan, Rosior calare/A mounted rosior, Scenele cu prizonieri turci/Scenes with Turkish prisoners), in his several "Oxen Carts" pictures, in the country landscapes and the landscapes painted elsewhere (La Posada/At Posada, Pescarita din Granville/The Grainville Fisherwoman, Raspantie in oras la Vitre/Crossroads at Vitre, Batrana din Brolle/The Old Woman in Brolle, Bordei in padure/A Wood Hut, Peisaj de toamna/An Autumn Landscape). The reality in his pictures is profoundly unaltered. The "secret geometry" of the picture keeps it unaltered, while, in the forefront, events seem to take place and the colours are bewildering. Grasping reality as the light changes it was one of the painter's great pleasures. In doing so he never got tired with the visible world. He was not prone to looking for picturesque in it, but to finding the valuable depth of a too common reality.

1.       Nicolae Grigorescu was a :

a)       Romanian composer

b)       Romanian writer

c)       Romanian painter

2. Grigorescu’s memorial house is in:

a) Campina

b) Paris

c) Bucuresti

3. Grigorescu’s works were influenced by :

a)       The French school

b)       The Italian school

c)       The Russian school


By Prof. Molcalut Georgeta - Florentina