Table of contents Versiunea română

6. Flowers - Ștefan Luchian

Ștefan Luchian, born in 1868 in Ștefănești, Botoșani, is known as the painter of flowers and one of the great innovators of modern Romanian art. Trained at the School of Fine Arts in Bucharest, then in Munich and Paris, he detached Romanian painting from the academic tradition, bringing it closer to Western sensibility.

Luchian approached a variety of themes in his painting, from landscapes and scenes of everyday life to still lifes with flowers, which brought him fame. Although appreciated by his contemporaries, Luchian lived in poverty and illness. The tragedy of his existence made flowers become the mirror of his soul, as they reflect both the splendor of life and its ephemeral fragility. The diagnosis of multiple sclerosis did not prevent him from continuing to paint. When he could no longer use his hands, he tied the brush to his arm and painted. Luchian passed away in 1916, at only 48 years old.

Among the best-known artists influenced by Luchian’s work is Nicolae Tonitza. In 2013, one of his paintings, Yellow Chrysanthemums, was sold in Bucharest for 170,000 euros, a record for a Romanian still life.

This work, entitled Flowers, represents a bouquet of carnations placed in a peasant ceramic vase. The background of the painting is empty, without objects or décor, and has a matte texture. A horizontal line in relief separates the wall behind the vase with flowers from the table on which it is placed. The table has a fine texture.

The decision to use a simple background, without décor, is a modern technique meant to isolate and monumentalize the subject. All the attention is concentrated on the vase and the bouquet, transforming a simple still life into a statement of form and color.

Each flower is constructed with thin lines that radiate from the center toward the edges. These lines are slightly curved, imitating the veins of the petals. They suggest that the petals overlap. Beneath the thin line is a fine texture, and the contour of each flower is made with a thick line. Each flower has a slightly different structure, to convey the naturalness of the painting, but also because they are arranged irregularly in the vase. The stems, buds, and leaves are represented with a rough texture. The vase has a minimalist, traditional Romanian pattern and is depicted with a smooth texture. On both the right and left sides of the vase lie two fallen flowers.

The colors of the flowers are vibrant, and the contrast between the visual richness of the carnations and the authentic simplicity of the peasant ceramic vase brings a note of local authenticity. It is Luchian’s way of rooting his art in Romanian tradition, even when he uses modern techniques.

In the lower right corner, the painter’s signature can be distinguished: Luchian. It is handwritten, cursive, with a thin line in relief.

Alongside Nicolae Grigorescu (landscape) and Gheorghe Petrașcu (tonalism), Ștefan Luchian defined the path of Romanian art toward the 20th century. His artistic sensitivity is very expressively captured by his own words: „We, the artists, look with our eyes, but we work with our souls.”