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5. The Sunflower - Theodor Pallady

This painting is called The Sunflower. It was created around the 1920s by Theodor Pallady, one of the most important Romanian modernist painters. The exact year was not marked on the work, which is why only an approximate period of completion can be estimated.

Pallady was born in Iași in 1871 and received his artistic training in Paris, where he studied at the École des Beaux-Arts under the guidance of the great professor Gustave Moreau—who also inspired Henri Matisse. He left for Paris in 1889 and studied until 1897, but continued to live and work there afterward. He returned to Romania only in 1940.

Pallady lived during a period of profound aesthetic transformation. Although he was a contemporary of the avant-garde, he did not follow the radical lines of the artistic movements of his time. Instead, he created a world of his own—an intimate, interiorized universe where still lifes and domestic scenes became his visual diary.

Pallady died in Bucharest in 1956, leaving behind a legacy that blends the quiet elegance of European tradition with a deeply Romanian spirit.

The most expensive painting by Theodor Pallady ever sold was “Still Life with Hookah and Quinces”, auctioned by Artmark in 2011 for 65,000 euros.

The painting The Sunflower is a still life. The background of the work features a matte texture. In the foreground, there is a table with several objects. Between the two planes—the distant background and the table—a raised line marks the separation. The table itself has a fine texture, interrupted here and there by surfaces that depict the objects on it, which will be discussed one by one in the following explanations.

In the center of the painting, on the table, stands a vase holding a single sunflower plant. The plant has seven leaves and five blossoms on the same stem.

The stem and leaves are rendered with a rough texture and outlined by a raised line. The leaves are broad with pointed tips—the ones at the base are larger, while those toward the top are smaller.

The flower heads have a smooth, raised center surrounded by many dots of varying sizes, imitating the texture of sunflower seeds as they appear in nature. Around each flower’s center are the petals—elongated, thin, numerous, with a fine texture and a delicate raised outline. Of the five blossoms, three face forward, while two on the right side of the stem are shown in profile, turned to the right. The lower one reveals its center and petals, while the upper one shows the small stalk from which the petals grow. In European tradition, the sunflower evokes fidelity to light, just as the plant follows the sun across the sky.

Over time, art critics and historians analyzing Pallady’s work have also suggested that the five flowers might be an intimate allusion to the painter’s five children and to the value of family. Since the artist did not confirm this interpretation through journal notes or other means, the subtle mystery he sought in his art remains unsolved.

The plant stands in a traditional Romanian vase made of kiln-fired ceramic, depicted with a smooth texture and a thick outline. The vase is painted with traditional motifs rendered as thin raised lines. At the top, one can feel a continuous broken line—a horizontal zigzag—with dots on each side. This is the “path of the lost way” motif, often painted on Romanian pottery, embroidered on traditional costumes, or carved into wood.

The second traditional motif on the vase is the spiral. Two incomplete vertical spirals can be felt in relief, just as the artist painted them.

To the right of the vase lies a ceramic plate with a rough texture, holding a bunch of grapes. The grapes are represented as smooth circles with thin outlines—some smaller, others larger. In Romanian culture, grapes symbolize prosperity and the fruitfulness of autumn.

Also on the table, in the lower left corner of the painting, there is a pocket watch placed on two sheets of paper. The papers are separated from the table by a raised line and have a matte texture. They are stacked, so the lower sheet appears only partially—its edges can be felt. The pocket watch is round, with a smooth texture imitating the glass cover typical of such watches. The hours are marked by short, thin lines inside the dial. The hands extend from the center, appearing to show 9:25 or 21:25. A chain is attached to the watch, represented by a thicker line, ending with a small ring used to fasten the watch to clothing. Inside this ring, the initials of the artist—T and P—are inscribed, overlapping as a monogram.

Overall, the composition reveals a symbolic contrast between objects representing life and prosperity and one symbolizing death and time.

On one side, we have the vase and the plate—objects made of clay, a primal element. They are simple, minimalist, and host motifs suggesting abundance and the material essence of life—flowers and fruit.

On the other side, within this intimate space, stands the metal pocket watch—a cold, mechanical, and complex element symbolizing Time. The initials of Theodor Pallady directly link the artist to this emblem of transience.

The pocket watch, usually hidden and worn close to the body, becomes a visual memento mori. Yet this symbol of death also suggests that life is not defined only by biological time but also by the spiritual legacy and art one creates.

Thus, by associating his personal watch with his artwork, Pallady seems to suggest that although physical life is fleeting, the act of creation grants eternity. This concept aligns with his ideas about the value of art.

“My painting is the diary of everyday existence. An intimate journal in which, without restraint for myself or others, without display or pomp—directly and swiftly—the pulse of my life unfolds, with its fatal variations, from one year to another, from one hour to the next… When I paint, I perform a moral act. I try to give my work eternity.”

~Theodor Pallady