NICOLAE TONITZA

Nicolae Tonitza (1886 – 1940) was a Romanian painter, engraver, lithographer, journalist and art critic. Drawing inspiration from Post-impressionism and Expressionism, he had a major role in introducing modernist guidelines to local art. In 1902 he joins the National School of Fine Arts in Iaşi. In 1908 he left for Munich, where he attended the Königliche Bayerische Akademie der Bildenden Kunste (Royal Academy of Fine Arts); he began publishing political cartoons in Furnica (The Ant), and contributing art criticism articles to Arta Română (Romanian Art). Tonitza spent the following three years in Paris, where he visited artists' studios, and studied famous paintings. After his return, Tonitza finished his studies and received also a church painter diploma. He then painted the churches of Grozeşti, Scorţeni, Silişte, Poeni, Văleni in Moldavia and worked as an art teacher, and then, together with Cezar Petrescu, as editor of Iaşul newspaper. In 1926, Tonitza, Oscar Han, Francisc Şirato, and Ştefan Dimitrescu, organized themselves as Grupul celor patru ("The Group of Four"). He met success in 1925, after opening a large exhibit in Bucharest, while raising controversy (including criticism from Ressu) over his "poster-like" style.
His aesthetic options were built around the problems of Impressionism, the achievements of the Post-Impressionists, the decorative trends of Modern Style. His equilibrium, his hedonism, his tempered sensitiveness are turned into the brilliancy of light and color in the harmony between color and line. Beyond the everyday torments, his painting remained serene, expressing a classicist artistic ideal. Highly influential and admired, he inspired several generations of artists with his works, which were at the same time original, strong and vivid

1.       Nicolae Tonitza attends the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in

a)       Vienna

b)       Paris

c)       Munich

2.       Nicolae Tonitza draws inspiration from:

a)       Impressionism

b)       Expressionism

c)       Realism

3.       Nicolae Tonitza died in

a)       1886

b)       1925

c)       1940

By Prof. Raluca Dabija