Guide Expo Roumains

7/29/2019 Guide Expo Roumains

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Il est particulirement clairant,pour la comprhension de lhistoireculturelle de la Bretagne, dassocieren un mme lieu les crations de sapopulation et la manire dont ellesont t perues par des personnalitsextrieures celle-ci. Eclairant etenthousiasmant, tout spcialementquand cela nous conduit, comme

aujourdhui, rvler ce qu peuprs tous nous ignorions encore :la renomme de la Bretagne dans lesmilieux artistiques roumains des deuxderniers sicles, aprs que Grigorescuet fait connatre ses compatriotes labeaut de la rgion. Jusqu la coupurebrutale de la Seconde Guerre mondiale,ils vinrent alors nombreux, les NicolaeGrant, Theodor Pallady, GheorghePetracu, tefan Popescu, Elena Popea,Jean Al. Steriadi, Iosif Iser, ConstantinPetrescu-Dragoe, Rodica Maniu, Max W.Arnold, etc. Tant de noms totalementinconnus du public franais, malgrleur attachement pour notre pays.Cest l aussi lobjet des expositionseuropennes du Muse breton : renouerdes liens culturels et artistiques quela Guerre puis loppression totalitaireont briss. Nous les retissons, cesliens, grce lamiti et au savoirde nos collgues roumains du Muse

national de Bucarest, principaleinstitution musographique roumaineavec laquelle cest un honneur, pourle Muse breton, de collaborer. Nousexprimons notre gratitude et notreamiti nos chres collgues RoxanaTheodorescu, directeur gnral duMuse, Dana Crian, Monica Enache,conservatrices, pour nous avoiraccompagns et soutenus dans cetteentreprise.

Philippe Le StumConservateur en chefDirecteur du Muse dpartemental breton

AshortguidetotheSummerExhibition2009

PETITJOURNA

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ROMANIAN PAINTERS IN BRITTANY

To understand the cultural history of Brittany itis particularly enlightening to bring together inone place not only creations by Breton people,

but also works showing how artists from outsidethe region perceived Brittany. Enlightening andalso heartening, especially when it gives us theopportunity, as is the case today, to reveal somethingwhich hardly anyone has been aware of up to now:the renown of Brittany within Romanian artisticcircles during the last two centuries. When thepainter Grigorescu told his compatriots about the

beauty of the region, Romanian painters ockedto Brittany up until the onset of the Second WorldWar. They inc luded Nic olae Gran t, TheodorPallady, Gheorghe Petracu, tefan Popescu, ElenaPopea, Jean Al. Steriadi, Iosif Iser, ConstantinPetrescu-Dragoe, Rodica Maniu and Max W.Arnold, most of whom are totally unknown toFrench people, despite their strong attachment toour region. Another objective of the exhibitionsof European artists held at the Muse Breton is torenew the cultural and artistic links which werebroken by the war and subsequent totalitarianoppression. We have rebuilt these links, thanks tothe friendship and knowledge of our colleagues atthe National Museum of Romania in Bucharest,whom it is an honour to work with. We shouldlike to express our gratitude and friendship to our

dear colleagues Roxana Theodorescu, Director-General of the Museum, Dana Crian and MonicaEnache, the curators, for their help and support inmounting this exhibition.

Peintres roumains en Bretagne(1880-1930)

E X P O S I T I O N Exhibition


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Grigorescu began his career by painting icons and

decorating churches and monasteries. In 1862 hemoved to Paris where he worked in the studio ofCharles Gleyre at the same time as Claude Monet,Auguste Renoir and Alfred Sisley, before gainingadmission to the cole des Beaux-Arts. However,after barely a year he abandoned his academicstudies and joined the Barbizon group of artiststo paint from real life in the open air, followingthe example of Corot, Courbet and Millet. Heremained with the group until 1869. Thus theBarbizon School marked a turning point in theartistic career of Grigorescu and, through him,

inuenced the entire development of Romanianpainting.

Grigorescu returned to Paris in 1876, andsoon became familiar with the work of theImpressionists Renoir, Berthe Morisot andCamille Pissarro. Between 1878 and 1880, hepainted at Vitr, Dinan, Granville, Mont-Saint-Michel and Fougres. He returned to Vitr, Dinanand Granville between 1880 and 1887. Afterthe chiaroscuro and smooth brush strokes of hisBarbizon period, his works of the 1880s were farlivelier, maintaining expressivity through the use

of brighter colours, an absence of lines and intensepatches of colour to give an idea of volume.Grigorescu was very fond of his Breton canvasses,so much so that he asked very high prices for themso that no-one would buy them! They remainedon exhibition in Romania and were stronglyinuential on the development of painting in thecountry.

Grigorescu commena sa carrirecomme peintre dicnes, de dcorsdglises et monastres. En 1862,il gagna Paris, o il travailla danslatelier de Charles Gleyre en mmetemps que Claude Monet, AugusteRenoir et Alfred Sisley, avant dtreadmis lcole des beaux-arts. Maisds 1863, il abandonna ses tudesacadmiques pour rejoindre lacolonie artistique de Barbizon, quilfrquenta jusquen 1869 pour peindre

en plein air, sur le motif , selonlexemple de Corot, Courbet ouMillet. Ainsi, lcole de Barbizon a-t-elle reprsent un moment dcisifdans la carrire artistique du peintreroumain et, par son intermdiaire,inuenc lvolution de toute lapeinture roumaine.Grigorescu revint Paris en 1876,se familiarisant alors avec lart desimpressionnistes Renoir, BertheMorisot et Camille Pissarro. Entre

1878 et 1880, il peignit Vitr, Dinan,Granville, au Mont-Saint-Michel, Fougres, puis encore Vitr, Dinanet Granville entre 1880 et 1887. Aprsle clair-obscur et la touche lisse de lapriode de Barbizon, ses uvres desannes 1880 tmoignent dune plusgrande vivacit. Leur expressivitest soutenue par une palette pluslumineuse et par llimination de laligne, la construction des volumes

tant dsormais porte seulementpar les touches de couleur.Grigorescu tait trs attach sestoiles bretonnes, au point quil leurxait des prix trs levs, an desassurer quaucun acheteur nepourrait les acqurir ! Exposes enRoumanie, elles eurent une inuencedterminante sur lvolution de lapeinture dans ce pays.

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PLOUGASTEL-DAOULASLES GES DE LA VIE

1. Intrieur Vitr. Huile/toile, 1876-1883. Interior at Vitr.Oil on canvas, 1876-1883.

2.Portrait de petite lle bretonne. Huile sur bois, [1880-1885].Portrait of a little Breton girl. Oil on wood, [1880-1885].

3. Cte en Bretagne.Huile sur toile, [1883-1884]. On the coastof Brittany. Oil on canvas, [1883-1884].

PAGE DE COUVERTURE ET DOS DE COUVERTURE :Iosif iser,Plage (dtail). Aquarelle et encre de Chine, [1926].Beach scene.Watercolour and Indian ink, [1926].

Nicolae Grigorescu(Pitaru, 1838 Cmpina, 1907)


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Nicolae Grant was born at the Manoir Belvdre,the family home to the north of Bucharest. Afterstudying in France he returned to Romania wherehe was a student at the cole des Beaux-Arts inBucharest under the art teachers Theodor Aman

and Gheorghe Tattarescu. In 1885, he went backto Paris where he rst enrolled at the cole desArts Dcoratifs, before entering the studio ofJean-Lon Grme at the cole des Beaux-Arts.

Grant was drawn to open-air painting and paintedhis rst studies of nature at Fontainebleau in1886. In 1893 he organised an exhibition of hiswork at the Romanian Athenaeum, a famousbuilding in Bucharest which later became hometo the national Pinacothque between 1906 and1948. He returned to France the following yearand in 1896 he visited Brittany with his TheodorPallady, cycling along the north coast and throughFinistre. He wentback to Romania with numerouspaintings of Plneuf-Val-Andr, Brhat andPont-Aven, all of which featured the hallmarksof Impressionism and Post-Impressionism.He continued to divide his time betweenRomania and France and spent the summers of1900 and 1902 at Loctudy and in Normandy.He was one of the founder members ofLa

Jeunesse Artistiqueart society in his homeland aswell as a well-known landscape artist. Despite theavant-garde waves of the 20th century, he remainedfaithful to a realistic vision of nature, trusting

only in his sense of observation, his sensitivityto subject matter and his knowledge of colour.

Nicolae Grant(Bucarest, 1868 1950)

1. Femme travaillant (Arradon). Huile sur toile, [1903-1904].Woman knitting in Arradon.Oil on canvas, [1903-1904].

2.Paysanne bretonne (femme du Pays bigouden). Gouache,aquarelle et crayon sur papier ocre, [1894-1904]. A Bretoncountrywoman (from the Pays Bigouden). Gouache, waterco-lour and pencil on ochre-coloured paper, [1894-1904].

3. Trois Bretons. Huile sur toile, [1894-1904]. Three Bretonmen. Oil on canvas, [1894-1904].

Nicolae Grant naquit au manoirBelvdre, proprit familiale au nordde Bucarest. Il t ses tudes en Franceavant de retourner en Roumanieo il suivit, lcole des beaux-artsde Bucarest, lenseignement desartistes acadmiques Theodor Amanet Gheorghe Tattarescu. En 1885, ilretourna Paris, sinscrivant dabord lcole des arts dcoratifs, avantdtre admis lcole des beaux-arts,dans latelier de Jean-Lon Grme.

Attir par la peinture en plein air,il peignit Fontainebleau, en 1886,ses premires compositions daprsnature. En 1893, il organisa uneexposition de ses uvres lAthneroumain, clbre dice bucarestoisqui abritera la Pinacothque nationaleentre 1906 et 1948. Il retourna enFrance lanne suivante et en 1896se rendit en Bretagne avec son amiTheodor Pallady, parcourant vlo lacte nord et le Finistre. Il rapporta

en Roumanie de nombreusesvues de Plneuf-Val-Andr, deBrhat et de Pont-Aven, marquespar la leon impressionniste etpostimpressionniste. Il continuade partager son temps entre laRoumanie et la France, passant lests de 1900 et 1902 Loctudy et enNormandie.Dans son pays natal, il fut lun desmembres fondateurs de la socit LaJeunesse artistique, et un paysagiste

reconnu. Etranger aux courantsdavant-garde du XXe sicle, il de-

meura dle une vision raliste dela nature, ne se ant qu son sens delobservation, sa sensibilit devantle sujet et sa science de coloriste.

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Pallady was a descendant of the Boyars and the

archetypal aristocrat from the period between thewars, but he was also the most French of theRomanian painters. Brought up in the tradition ofFrench culture, he thought and wrote in French.The egocentric air of the modern artist wasaccentuated by a natural arrogance inherited fromhis grandparents. These features of his characterquickly gained him a reputation as an eccentric.During his youth his motto was: "to reach everhigher" and he refused the award of the Lgiondhonneur three times, saying: "I cannot possiblylet anyone take the liberty of bestowing a decoration

upon me!". Having decided to become a painter,Pallady went to Paris and regularly attended thestudio of Edmond Aman-Jean. Then in 1896 hejoined that of Gustave Moreau at the cole desBeaux-Arts de Paris. Among his colleagues wasHenri Matisse who became a life-long friend.Between 1913 and 1940, except during wartime,Pallady lived in Paris, while continuing to holdexhibitions in Romania. His rst trip to Brittanywas probably in 1896, when, while still a student,he went on a cycling tour, with his friend NicolaeGrant, in the north of the peninsula and inFinistre, visiting Plneuf-Val-Andr, Brhat andPont-Aven. His rst Breton landscapes appearedin his 1925 exhibition in Bucharest. After 1926, hereturned to Brhat and travelled around the coast ofBrittany once more, visiting Saint-Malo, Morlaix,Dinard, Le Croisic, Trboul and Douarnenez. (Hiswatercolours are on show on the 4th oor of thismuseum in the Salle de la Tour de Rohan).In April 1940, Pallady was forced to return toBucharest. He did not come back to Francealthough he was obviously hoping for a rapidresolution of the international situation as he kepthis studio on the Place Dauphine.

Descendant de Boyards, Palladyincarne laristocrate-type de lentre-deux-guerres, mais il est aussi le plus franais des peintres roumains.Elev dans la tradition de la culturefranaise, il a pens et crit en franais.Lgocentrisme assum du crateurmoderne tait renforc chez lui parlorgueil hrit de ses grands-parents.Ces traits de caractre ont trs ttfait de lui un excentrique, dont ladevise de jeunesse tait Au-del de

tout et qui refusa par trois fois laLgion dhonneur, en dclarant : "Jenadmets pas que lon se permettede me dcorer !". Ayant dcidde devenir peintre, il rejoignitParis, frquenta dabord latelierdEdmond Aman-Jean puis, partirde 1896, celui de Gustave Moreau lcole des beaux-arts de Paris. Parmises collgues dalors se trouvait HenriMatisse, auquel des liens damiti lelirent jusqu sa mort.

Entre 1913 et 1940, avec une interruptionpendant la guerre, Pallady habita Paris, tout en exposant rgulirementen Roumanie. Son premier voyageen Bretagne pourrait dater de 1896,lorsque, encore tudiant, il t unerandonne en vlo avec son amiNicolae Grant, dans le nord de lapninsule et dans le Finistre, enpassant par Plneuf-Val-Andr, Brhatet Pont-Aven. Les premiers paysagesbretons rent leur apparition dansson exposition de Bucarest, en

1925. Aprs 1926, il revint Brhatet voyagea nouveau sur la ctebretonne, Saint-Malo, Morlaix,Dinard, le Croisic, Trboul,Douarnenez.En avril 1940, Pallady doit retourner Bucarest. Le retour fut dnitif,mme si le peintre, qui esprait uneclarication rapide de la situationinternationale, navait pas renonc son atelier de la place Dauphine.

1. Clocher en Bretagne (Saint-Thgonnec). Crayon et gouache,[1930-1932].Steeple in Brittany (Saint-Thgonnec). Pencil andgouache, [1930-1932].

2.Maison Morlaix - Rue de la Prison. Crayon et aquarelle, [1927-1928].House at Morlaix Rue de la Prison. Pencil and watercolour;[1927-1928].

3.Maisons au bord de la mer. Huile sur carton, [1920-1924].Housesby the sea. Oil on cardboard, [1920-1924].

Theodor Pallady(Iassy, 1871 Bucarest, 1956)

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Petracu passa son enfance Tecuci,au sud de la Moldavie, et Nicoreti,

au pied des Carpates, o son prepossdait un vignoble. Puis, install Bucarest avec son frre Nicolae,crivain et critique dart, il sinscriviten 1892 lcole des beaux-arts. Lagnration de Petracu tmoignaitdune admiration sans bornes pourGrigorescu, dont il devint le disciple.En 1898, il gagna Paris et sinscrivit lAcadmie Julian dans latelier de

William Bouguereau, clbre peintreacadmique. En 1900, il t ses dbutssur la scne artistique roumaineavec une exposition personnelle lAthne de Bucarest.Petracu a parcouru lEurope etvisit lEgypte. Mais ce besoin futquilibr par son attachement auxpaysages natals des valles de Siretet Brlad. Il dcouvrit la Bretagne en1899, y revint en 1901, rencontranttefan Popescu Ploumanach. Dans

ses vues de Vitr, il donna la pleinemesure de son style de jeunesse enreprenant un motif cher Grigorescu.Il revint encore en Bretagne aprs sestudes, et peignit en 1921 Morlaix,Roscoff, Vitr, Saint-Malo et Saint-Enogat.La critique, les collectionneurset les muses ont fait de lui, avecPallady, le peintre roumain le plusrenomm de lentre-deux-guerres.Ses contemporains ont admir son

sens de la couleur, la sensualitde sa touche, sa fougue, qualitsqui le rapprochaient de NicolaeGrigorescu. Petracu fut aussi undessinateur et un aquarelliste, ainsiquun graveur prolique (voir sesuvres graphiques au 4e tage, dansla Tour de Rohan).

Petracu spent his childhood at Tecuci, in thesouth of Moldavia, and at Nicoreti, in thefoothills of the Carpathian Mountains, wherehis father owned a vineyard. He settled inBucharest with his brother Nicolae, a writerand art critic, and in 1892 he enrolled at thecole des Beaux-Arts there. Like many ofhis generation Petracu admired Grigorescuimmensely, and became his disciple. In 1898he went to Paris and enrolled at the AcadmieJulian in the studio of William Bouguereau, afamous academic painter. In 1900, he took hisrst steps on the Romanian art scene with a one-man exhibition at the Bucharest Athenaeum.Petracu travelled widely throughout Europe andalso visited Egypt. However, his globe-trottingwas counter-balanced by his attachment to thelandscapes of his native valleys of Siret andBrlad. He rst discovered Brittany in 1899 andreturned in 1901 when he met tefan Popescuat Ploumanach. In his paintings of Vitr, hegave full vent to his youthful style producingtown and street scenes, subjects which werealso popular with his friend Grigorescu. At

the end of his studies, he visited Brittany onceagain and painted Morlaix, Roscoff, Vitr,Saint-Malo and Saint-Enogat in 1921.Critics, collectors and art galleries have madePetracu, the most well-known Romanianpainter of the period between the wars, alongwith Pallady. His contemporaries admired hissense of colour, the sensuality of his brushstrokes and his passion, qualities that he sharedwith Nicolae Grigorescu. Petracu also didmany drawings, water-colours and etchings(examples of his graphic work are on show onthe 4th oor of the Tour de Rohan).

1. Vue Vitr. Huile sur toile, 1901. View of Vitr. Oil on

canvas, 1901

2.Rue en Bretagne. Encre de Chine, lavis et craies de couleur,[1921-1923].A street in Brittany. Indian ink, colour-wash andcoloured chalk, [1921-1923].

3. Paysage au moulin. Gouache, aquarelle et encre de Chine,[1924-1926].Landscape with a windmill.Gouache, watercolourand Indian ink, [1924-1926]

Gheorghe Petracu(Tecuci, 1872 Bucarest, 1949)

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While a student in Bucharest, Popescu discoveredthe intellectual socialist movement led byConstantin Dobrogeanu-Gherea, who was hisspiritual mentor. Between 1893 and 1900, hestudied at the Acadmie des Beaux-Arts inMunich, before continuing his studies in Paris.

In 1901 he visited Brittany for the rst time, inparticular Paimpol and Ploumanach where he metup with Petracu and from where he wrote : "this isthe most beautiful place Ive ever seen ().Whenyou come to the top of the hill and catch sight ofPloumanach with its rocks and houses, it lookslike an immense ruined town, giving a feeling ofimmensity that Ive never come across before"When Popescu portrayed gures from Brittany,he gave each one a symbolic meaning: the Bretonsherman from 1913 is the typical representationof an ancient profession permanently battlingagainst the forces of nature, whose silhouettestands out against the sea and resembles a rock.In 1904 in Penmarch, Popescu met the painterLucien Simon, whom he held in great respect.His painting trips to Brittany continued until1928, visiting Loctudy, Saint Gunol and Pont

lAbb. He was without doubt the Romanian artistwho visited Brittany the most and his enthusiasmfor the region strongly inuenced his approachto subjects back in Romania, by increasinghis awareness of the rural way of life. This ledPopescu to discover Balcic, a small place on thesouth coast of Romania, populated by Turks andTartars, which became the summer refuge of anactive artist colony during the period between thewars.

Etudiant Bucarest, Popescu ydcouvrit le mouvement intellectuelsocialiste de Constantin Dobrogeanu-Gherea, qui fut son mentor spirituel.Entre 1893 et 1900, il tudia lAcadmiedes beaux-arts de Munich, avant depoursuivre sa formation Paris.Il entreprit en 1901 son premiervoyage en Bretagne, Paimpol et Ploumanach, o il retrouva Petracuet do il crivait : "je nai jamais vudans ma vie un coin de terre aussi beau(). Lorsquon aperoit du haut de lacolline Ploumanach avec ses rocherset ses maisons, le lieu ressemble une immense ville en ruines. Cestune sensation de grandeur que je naijamais connue auparavant"Lorsque Popescu reprsente, enBretagne, des personnages, illeur attribue une signicationsymbolique : le pcheur breton de1913 est le portrait-type dun trsancien mtier, en lutte permanenteavec la nature. Se dtachant sur lamer, sa silhouette a lapparence durocher. En 1904, Popescu sentretint Penmarch avec le peintre LucienSimon, pour lequel il prouvait unegrande considration. Il voyagea etpeignit en Bretagne jusquen 1928, Loctudy, Saint-Gunol, Pont-lAbb,et fut sans doute lartiste roumainqui parcourut le plus cette rgion.Son enthousiasme pour elle influena

dailleurs sa manire daborder lesthmatiques roumaines, en le rendantplus sensible la vie des populationsrurales. Par la suite, Popescu dcouvritBalcic, petite localit situe au sud dulittoral roumain, peuple de Turcs etde Tatares, qui allait devenir pendantlentre-deux-guerres le refuge dtdune active colonie dartistes.

1. Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-la-Joie (Penmarch). Huilesur toile, [1904-1906]. Chapel of Notre-Dame-de-la-Joie(Penmarch). Oil on canvas, [1904-1906].

2.Vieux pcheur.Huile sur carton, 1913.Old sherman.Oil on cardboard, 1913.

3.Paysage avec barques. Huile sur toile, 1928. Landscapewith rowing boats. Oil on canvas, 1928.

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tefan Popescu(Fineti, 1872 Bucarest, 1948)


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Dceles ds lenfance passe enGrce -, les aptitudes artistiques deKimon Loghi furent encouragespar sa famille, qui lui permit defaire ses tudes lcole desbeaux-arts de Bucarest, puis de lespoursuivre Munich, en 1894, enparticulier dans latelier de Franzvon Stuck, peintre symboliste etlun des fondateurs de la Scessionmunichoise. Revenu Bucarest en1899, sa peinture, la thmatique

symboliste, connut ses premierssuccs auprs de la critique et il vittrois de ses uvres slectionnespour reprsenter la Roumanie lExposition universelle de Paris,en 1900. Au dbut du nouveausicle, Loghi loua un atelier dans lacapitale franaise, o il frquentaun groupe dartistes avec lesquelsil contribua fonder la socitLa Jeunesse artistique, qui attiralattention des amateurs et des

critiques sur les jeunes talentsroumains.Entre 1911 et 1916, il habitaprincipalement Vienne, participantaux expositions internationales oudonnant Bucarest des expositionspersonnelles. Au cours des annesVingt, il sloigna de lesthtiquesymboliste pour se consacrerprincipalement la peinture depaysage en plein air, en Roumanie(Balcic, Bran, Valea Oltului) et ltranger

(Concarneau, Ploumanach, Vitr,Nice, Villefranche-sur-Mer, Antibes,Biarritz, Barbizon, Baden). Son uvrebretonne se situe dans cettepriode, qui correspond lapogede sa cration. Sa vision de la rgion,lumineuse, chaleureuse et pleinede couleurs, contraste avec lesreprsentations sombres dautrespeintres, parmi ses compatriotes."Selon moi, crivait-il, trois choses

priment en peinture : la couleur, lacouleur et encore la couleur".

1.Plage Beg-Meil. Huile sur toile, 1929. The beach at Beg-

Meil. Oil on canvas, 1929.2. Concarneau. Huile sur toile, [1929-1934].In ConcarneauOil on canvas, [1929-1934].

3.Paysage marin.Huile sur toile, [1929-1934].Seascape. Oil oncanvas, [1929-1934].

4.Arbres au bord de la mer.Huile sur toile, [1929-1934]. Treesbeside the sea. Oil on canvas, [1929-1934].

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Kimon Loghi(Serres, 1873 Bucarest, 1952)

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The artistic ability of Kimon Loghi wasspotted at an early age during his childhoodspent in Greece. His family encouraged histalent and sent him to study rst at the coledes Beaux-Arts in Bucharest, and thento Munich in 1894 to the studio of Franzvon Stuck, a symbolist painter and oneof the founders of the Munich Secession

movement. He returned to Bucharest in1899 where his symbolist paintings soongained critical acclaim and three of hisworks were selected to represent Romaniaat the Paris Universal Exhibition in 1900.At the start of the century, Loghi renteda studio in Paris and joined a group ofartists; together they founded a societycalled La Jeunesse artistique, which drewthe attention of art lovers and critics to theyouthful Romanian talent.

Between 1911 and 1916, he lived mainly in

Vienna where he took part in internationalexhibitions while holding one-man showsin Bucharest. During the 20s he movedaway from symbolist art to concentratemainly on painting landscapes in theopen air both in Romania (Balcic, Bran,Valea Oltului) and abroad (Concarneau,Ploumanach, Vitr, Nice, Villefranche-sur-Mer, Antibes, Biarritz, Barbizon, Baden).It was during this period, at the height ofhis career that he painted in Brittany. Hisvision of the region is one of light, warmthand vivid colour, which contrasts stronglywith the sombre works of his compatriotartists. "For me, he wrote, there are threeimportant things in painting: colour, colourand yet more colour".


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On sait peu de choses sur cetartiste, qui trouva en Bretagne saprincipale source dinspiration.Durant la Premire guerre mondiale,il ralisa sur le front des esquissesqui lui servirent pour quelquescompositions. En 1920, il partittudier lAcadmie des beaux-artsde Rome. partir de 1930, il voyageabeaucoup en France, notammenten Finistre, Quimper et surtout Concarneau. Au dbut de cettedcennie, il exposa au Salon dhiverdu Grand Palais (1930), au Salon dela Socit nationale des beaux-arts(1931), ainsi qu lUnion artistique desamis de Concarneau et au salon de laSocit lorientaise des beaux-arts(1931). Simultanment, il envoyait desuvres aux expositions de Bucarest.Un grand nombre des dessinsexcuts en Finistre sont lis une importante commande de

peinture murale, laquelle lartistecommence travailler en 1931. Uneesquisse trs aboutie, conserveau Muse national des Arts deBucarest, est expose ici. Nousnavons pas retrouv la destinationnale de cette commande. Cinqscnes composent un moment dela vie de tous les jours de la ville deConcarneau et de ses habitants : lafabrication des barques, le transportdes lets, le dchargement du thon,le poissonnier et le march depoterie. larrire-plan, on

distingue les btiments symbolesde la ville, concentrs en un seulendroit : la Ville close, la Chapelledu marin, dont le son du clocherguidait les embarcations par tempsde brouillard, les tours des usines conserves. Destin probablement un htel, ce projet monumentalinachev reprsente la conclusion delexprience bretonne de Petrescu-Dragoe.

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Constantin Petrescu-Dragoe(Gura Srii, 1887 Bucarest ?, 1937)

1.Rue de Brest. Aquarelle et fusain sur papier.A street in Brest. Watercolour and charcoal onpaper, 1931.

2. Vue dune ville (Quimper). Gouache et fusain

sur papier, 1931. Townscape (Quimper). Gouacheand charcoal on paper, 1931.

3. Histoire du port de Concarneau (Projet de

dcoration murale). Fusain sur cinq panneauxde papier, [1931].History of Concarneau Har-bour (Project for a mural decoration). Fivecharcoal drawings on paper panels, [1931].

4. Vieille femme de Concarneau. Fusain et gouachesur papier, 1931. Old woman from Concarneau.Charcoal and gouache on paper, 1931.

5. Vieux vendeur de poisson Concarneau.

Fusain et gouache sur papier, 1931. Old shseller in Concarneau. Charcoal and gouache on

paper, 1931.6. Madame Kitty (Concarneau). Huile sur car-ton, 1931.Madame Kitty (Concarneau). Oil oncardboard, 1931.


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Very little is known about this artist whofound his main source of inspiration inBrittany. During the First World War, hemade sketches while serving at the frontwhich he later used in compositions. In1920 he went to study at the Acadmiedes Beaux-Arts in Rome. From 1930onwards, he travelled extensively inFrance, especially in Finistre, visitingQuimper and in particular Concarneau.

At the beginning of this decade heexhibited at the Winter Show at theGrand Palais (1930) and at showsorganised by the Socit Nationaledes Beaux-Arts (1931), the UnionArtistique des Amis de Concarneau andthe Socit Lorientaise des Beaux-Arts(1931). At the same time, he sent worksto exhibitions in Bucharest.

A large number of the drawings made

in Finistre are connected with thecommission of a major mural paintingwhich he began in 1931. A detailedsketch of this is housed at the MuseNational des Arts de Bucharest, and iscurrently on show here. We have not,however, been able to discover thenal destination of the commission. Itshows ve scenes of everyday life inthe town of Concarneau: boat-building,transporting nets, unloading tuna, at the

shmongers and the pottery market.

In the background we can make outbuildings which symbolise the town,concentrated in one place : the VilleClose, the shermens chapel whosebell guided vessels through fog and thetowers of the sh canneries. Destinedprobably for a hotel, this monumentalunnished project marks the end ofthe Brittany experience of Petrescu-Dragoe.

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Steriadi suivit les cours de lcoledes beaux-arts de Bucarest entre1897 et 1901, poursuivit sa formation Munich puis Paris, o il sinstallaen 1903, frquentant, comme nombrede ses contemporains, lAcadmie Julian,tablissement priv denseignementdes arts. La peinture en plein air ytait encourage et ce fut durantcette priode que Steriadi dcouvritavec enthousiasme la peintureimpressionniste. En 1906, il effectua

un voyage en Bretagne, au coursduquel il rencontra le peintre LucienSimon, quil visita dans son atelierde Combrit-Sainte-Marine. Decette poque date la vue de lgliseNotre-Dame-de-lAssomption, deQuimperl. Jusqu la n des annes1920, Steriadi revint souvent enBretagne. En 1928, il peignit ainsiplusieurs vues du port de Roscoff.Graveur leau-forte et lithographe,Steriadi fonda en 1916 la socit

Graphica, pour soutenir enRoumanie la production destampes.Sa carrire propre se doubla en effetdune inlassable activit danimateurde la vie artistique roumaine,quil marqua de sa personnalitcharismatique : organisateur denombreuses expositions nationaleset internationales, conservateur

de muse, professeur depeinture et de lithographie lcole desbeaux-arts de Bucarest, jury de salonsde peintures et de dessins, membrede lAcadmie roumaine, etc.

Steriadi was a pupil at the cole des Beaux-Arts in Bucharest between 1897 and 1901,and then continued his studies in Munich and

Paris, where he settled in 1903, attending, asdid many of his contemporaries, the AcadmieJulian, a private art school. Painting in theopen-air was encouraged at the Academie andSteriadi embraced impressionist painting withenthusiasm. In 1906, he travelled to Brittanyand while there, visited Lucien Simon in hisstudio at Combrit-Sainte-Marine. The view ofthe church of Notre-Dame-de-lAssomption,in Quimperl dates from this period. Steriadireturned to Brittany regularly until the end ofthe 1920s. In 1928 he painted several views of

the port of Roscoff.Steriadi also did etchings and lithographsand in 1916 he founded Graphica, a societywhich promoted print production in Romania.His artistic career was coupled with a tirelessactivity in promoting Romanian art, whichwas marked by his charismatic personality. Heorganised numerous national and internationalexhibitions, was a museum curator, taughtpainting and lithography at the Ecole desBeaux-Arts in Bucharest, judged art anddrawing competitions, was a member of the

Romanian Academy, etc.

1. Quimperl. Huile sur toile, [1906].

Townscape Quimperl. Oil on canvas, [1906].2.Port en France, Roscoff.Huile sur carton, 1928.A Harbour in France (Roscoff). Oil on cardboard,1928.

3.Port en France, Roscoff.Huile sur toile, 1928.A Harbour in France (Roscoff). Oil on canvas, 1928.

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Jean Al. Steriadi(Bucarest, 1880 1956)

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tudiante en Allemagne, ElenaPopea frquenta la Damenakademiede Munich. Des chos de cesdbuts se retrouvrent tout aulong de sa carrire artistique,marque par lattention apporte la construction graphique, maisaussi un rapprochement avecl i m p r e s s i o nni s m e a l l e m andmodr. Durant lt, elle pratiquaitla peinture en plein air au sein dela colonie de femmes-peintres de

Starnberger See et Landsberg, prsdAugsbourg.Lors de son premier sjour franais(1905-1910), elle devint llve deLucien Simon, qui laissa une forteempreinte sur son uvre. Aprsla Premire Guerre mondiale,elle stablit Paris, travaillanttoujours dans lentourage deSimon et sappropriant une partiede la thmatique bretonne de sonmatre.

Puis, entre 1918 et 1919, la Bretagneoffrit Popea loccasion demener des exprimentations quilloignrent de la manire de Simon.Aprs louverture de lAcadmie deMontparnasse (1922), elle rencontraAndr Lhote et se familiarisaauprs de lui avec le cubisme. Elleabandonna alors les investigationsc h r o m a t i q u e s d e f a c t u r eimpressionniste. Ses compositionsse rent plus dynamiques etmme dramatiques. Entre 1925 et

1938, Popea revint priodiquementen Bretagne, rgion o elle parvenait exprimer sa vision picturale.Elle adopta un nouveau style,ngligeant les proportions ralisteset condensant limage en liminantles dtails (Kermesse en Bretagne).

As a student in Germany, Elena Popea attendedthe Damenakademie in Munich which left itsmark on her overall artistic style in her attentionto graphic construction and also in her nearness

to moderate German impressionism. Duringthe summer, she painted in the open air at thecolony of women artists at Starnberger See andLandsberg, near Augsbourg.

During her rst stay in France (1905-1910), shebecame a pupil of Lucien Simon, who stronglyinuenced her work. After the First World Warshe moved to Paris where she continued towork for Simon and adopted part of the Bretontheme beloved by her master.

Then, between 1918 and 1919, Brittanypresented Popea with the opportunity to carry

out experiments which distanced her fromSimons style. After the opening of the Acadmiede Montparnasse (1922), she met Andr Lhotewho introduced her to cubism. She thereforeabandoned her impressionist-style chromaticinvestigations for more dynamic and dramaticcompositions. Between 1925 and 1938, Popeacame back every so often to Brittany, the regionwhere she was best able to express her pictorialvision. She adopted a new style, puttingaside realistic proportions and condensing theimage by eliminating details as in Kermesse en

Bretagne.

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Elena Popea(Braov, 1879 Bucarest, 1941)

1.Bretonnes.Huile sur carton, [1925-1926].Breton women.Oil on cardboard, [1925-1926].

2.Procession en Bretagne (Ile de Sein). Huile sur carton,[1925-1938].Procession in Brittany. Oil on cardboard, [1925-1938].

3. Moisssonneurs. Huile et crayon sur carton, [1925-1938].Harvest time. Oil and pencil on cardboard, [1925-1938].

4.Kermesse en Bretagne. Huile sur toile, [1925-1929].Fetein Brittany. Oil on canvas, [1925-1929].


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1.Pcheurs bretons. Gouache vernisse sur carton gris, 1933.Muse des collections dArt, Bucarest, Collection Moise etElisabeta Weinberg.Breton shermen. Varnished gouache ongrey cardboard, 1933. Museum of Art Collections, Bucharest,Moise & Elisabeta Weinberg Collection.

2.Plage Saint-Malo. Aquarelle et encre brune, 1926.Musedes collections dArt, Bucarest, Collection Moise et ElisabetaWeinberg.Beach at Saint-Malo. Water colour and brown ink,1926. Museum of Art Collections, Bucharest, Moise & Elisa-beta Weinberg Collection.

3.Plage. Aquarelle et encre de Chine, [1926].Beach scene.Watercolour and Indian ink [1926].

Iosif Iser t ses tudes artistiques Munich o ne le satisrent ni larigidit de lAcadmie des beaux-arts, ni lart nouveau de la Scession.Son attention se concentrait djsur les arts graphiques et il parvint collaborer aux clbres revuessatiriquesJugend et Simplicissimus.Ce fut aussi dans le domaine dudessin de presse et de la caricaturequil se t dabord connatre enRoumanie, aprs son retour en1904. En 1908, il partit Paris acheversa formation, et se lia Picasso,Derain, Marquet et Juan Gris, sanspour autant adhrer toutes leursexprimentations. Il tudia avecsoin les conceptions de Czanne,qui exera sur lui une inuencedterminante pour la suite de sonuvre. son retour Bucarest,ds 1909, il organisa lAthne lapremire exposition roumaine dartcontemporain franais.

Comme peintre, les terrespittoresques et arides de Dobrogea,peuples de Turcs et de Tatares,furent dabord, en 1913, son cadrede prdilection. Aprs la PremireGuerre mondiale, sa dmobilisationet une grande exposition Bucarest,en 1920, il revint en France, tudiaauprs dOthon-Friesz. Cette

mme anne, il effectua unpremier voyage en Bretagne, oil revint plusieurs reprises jusquen1944. Il y fut attir par la simplicit etlaridit du paysage qui lui permettaitdexprimenter diffrentes optionschromatiques sur le mme motif(cycle des Plages de Saint-Malo).

Iosif Iser studied art in Munich where neitherthe rigidity of the Acadmie des Beaux-Artsnor the new art of the Scession were to histaste. His attention had already turned tographic art and he worked on the satiricalmagazines Jugend and Simplicissimus. Itwas also in the eld of press illustration thathe rst became well-known in Romania,following his return there in 1904. In 1908,he left for Paris to complete his training andjoined up with Picasso, Derain, Marquet andJuan Gris, although he did not take part inall their experiments. He carefully studiedthe ideas of Czanne, who had a marked

inuence on his subsequent work. After hisreturn to Bucharest, he organised the rstexhibition of contemporary French art to beheld in Romania at the Athenaeum in 1909.

As a painter, his initial preference in 1913 wasfor the picturesque, arid lands of Dobrogea,which were inhabited by Turks and Tartars.After demobilisation at the end of the FirstWorld War he held a major exhibition inBucharest and returned to France in 1920where he studied under Othon-Friesz. In thesame year he made his rst trip to Brittany and

subsequently returned several times up until1944. He was attracted by the simplicity andbarrenness of the landscape which gave himthe opportunity to experiment with differentcolour schemes on the same design, as inthe series Plages de Saint-Malo (beaches ofSaint Malo).

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Iosif Iser(Bucarest, 1881 1958)

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Eustaiu Stoenescu tait issudune vieille famille dOltnie maissa mre, dorigine franaise, taitne en Bretagne. Son premiercontact avec la peinture remontait 1889, lorsque le peintre franaisLopold Durangel t le portrait desa mre. Lexposition de Grigorescu lAthne roumain, en 1897,conrma sa vocation. En 1900, il serendit Paris et sinscrivit dabord lAcadmie Julian, dans les ateliersde William-Adolphe Bouguereau etde Jean-Paul Laurens, avant dtreadmis lcole des beaux-arts. En1905, il t ses dbuts ofciels enexposant Paris en mme tempsquen Roumanie. Li des artistesfranais tels que les peintres AlbertBesnard, Charles Cottet, et lessculpteurs Rodin, Bourdelle ouFrmiet, il continua dexposer,dans les annes suivantes, Parisen mme temps que dans son pays

dorigine. Il dcouvrit la Bretagneau cours de ses nombreux sjoursen France, partir de 1909-1911. Il yretourna en 1929 et entre 1930 et 1934,peignant notamment Loctudy.Les galeries parisiennes Bernheim-Jeune et Charpentier luiconsacrrent dans les annes 1920des expositions personnelles et legouvernement franais lui achetades uvres. Il jouissait en Roumaniede la mme reconnaissance, ce qui

lui valut dtre nomm recteurde lAcadmie des beaux-arts.Aprs la Seconde Guerre mondiale,cependant, le pouvoir communistele dchut de son poste, tandis quilse voyait priv de commandes et depossibilit de voyager. En 1947, enchange dun visa pour la France,il excuta un dernier portrait enRoumanie. En France, en Suisse,et enn aux Etats-Unis, il repritlactivit de portraitiste qui avant laguerre avait assis sa rputation.

Eustaiu Stoenescu came from an old Oltenian family but his mother was French and bornin Brittany. His rst contact with painting was in 1889 when the French artist, LopoldDurangel, painted his mothers portrait. His vocation was conrmed at the exhibition byGrigorescu at the Romanian Athenaeum in 1897. In 1900, he went to Paris and initially en-rolled at the Academie Julian, in the studios of William-Adolphe Bouguereau and Jean-PaulLaurens, before being admitted to the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. In 1905, he made his ofcialdebut with simultaneous exhibitions in Paris and Romania. He joined up with French artistssuch as the painters Albert Besnard, Charles Cottet, and the sculptors Rodin, Bourdelle andFrmiet, and continued to hold exhibitions in Paris and his native land during the next fewyears. He discovered Brittany during one of his many visits to France between 1909 and1911 and returned in 1929 and between 1930 and 1934, painting especially in Loctudy.

The Bernheim-Jeune and Charpentier Galleries in Paris held one-man exhibitions of hiswork during the 1920s and the French government bought his works. He enjoyed the samerecognition in Romania, where he was appointed Rector of the Acadmie des Beaux-Arts.After the Second World War, however, the Communist authorities stripped him of his postand prevented him from taking commissions and travel. In 1947, he painted a nal portraitin Romania in exchange for a visa for France. In France and Switzerland and nally in theUnited States he resumed the portrait painting which had secured his reputation before thewar.

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1.Procession en Bretagne. Huile sur contreplaqu, [1930-1934]. Procession in Brittany. Oil on plywood, [1930-1934].

2.Port de Loctudy. Huile sur carton, [1929].Loctudy har-bour.Oil on cardboard, [1929].

Eustaiu Stoenescu(Craiova, 1884 New York, 1957)


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1. Vieille Bretonne (Confort-Meilars). Huile sur carton,

1920. Old woman from Brittany (Confort-Meilars). Oil oncardboard, 1920.

2.Lavandires bretonnes (Plougastel-Daoulas). Huile surcarton, 1920.Breton washerwomen (Plougastel-Daoulas).Oil on cardboard, 1920.

3. Port breton (Douarnenez). Huile sur carton, 1920.Beach scene. Oil on cardboard, 1920.

Rodica Maniu est issue dune familledintellectuels transylvains. En 1909,elle partit Paris, o elle frquentadeux ateliers privs de formationaux Beaux-Arts, lAcadmie Julian etLa Grande Chaumire. On la retrouvealors parmi les lves de Lucien Simon,Charles Cottet et Ren Menard, figuresminentes du paysage artistiqueparisien de lpoque.Rodica Maniu affronta le public pourla premire fois en 1910, lorsquelle

exposa la fois au SalondesIndpendantsde Paris et au Salon dautomne dela Jeunesse artistique de Bucarest.Maniu tmoignait, ds ses dbuts,dun intrt pour la thmatiquerustique, pour la gure humaineintgre dans le paysage et pour laconstruction de la composition parla couleur. Rodica Maniu dcouvrit laBretagne en 1920, probablement surles conseils de Cottet. Les crations decette priode incluent presque toujours

la gure humaine, les particularits etles coutumes bretonnes tant beaucoupplus recherches par lartiste que lesspectaculaires paysages de la cte.En 1923, Rodica Maniu pouse le peintreSamuel Mtzner (1884-1959), apprcipour ses paysages pointillistes raliss Giverny, entre 1908 et 1910. Elle

voyagea et travailla dsormais avecson mari Balcic (Roumanie), oelle revint de multiples reprises, Caliacra, en Corse (1929) et dans leProche-Orient (1930), ralisant deshuiles et des aquarelles qui rendentparfaitement latmosphre de ceslieux.

Rodica Maniu came from a Transylvanianfamily of intellectuals. In 1909 she went toParis where she attended two private artschools, the Acadmie Julian and La GrandeChaumire, as a pupil of Lucien Simon,Charles Cottet and Ren Menard who were

prominent gures on the Parisian landscapeartist scene at that time. Rodica Maniu heldher rst public exhibitions in 1910 at theSalon des Indpendants in Paris and at theAutumn Show by the Jeunesse artistique inBucharest. From the outset, Maniu showeda strong interest in rural themes, workinghuman gures into the scenery and makingconstructive use of colour. She discoveredBrittany in 1920, probably on the advice ofCottet. Her creations from this period arealmost exclusively of human gures, theirparticularities and customs, as she was formore attracted by these than by the spectacularcoastal scenery.

In 1923, Rodica Maniu married the painterSamuel Mtzner (1884-1959), who wasappreciated for his pointillist landscapespainted at Giverny between 1908 and 1910.

From then on she travelled and worked withher husband in Balcic, Romania (which shevisited frequently), at Caliacra in Corsica(1929) and in the Middle East (1930),producing oil paintings and water-colourswhich give a perfect representation of theatmosphere in these places.

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Rodica Maniu(Bucarest, 1890 1958)


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N Iassy, capitale de la Moldavie, Max Arnold ya tudi la peinture lcole des beaux-arts (1913-1919), avant de continuer ses tudes lInstitutSuprieur des beaux-arts de Rome. En 1923, iltait Munich et Dresde, o il se familiarisaavec lexpressionnisme. Pourtant, Arnold nagure subi linuence des courants artistiquescontemporains et lon peut dire que ses voyagessurtout lont form. Outre lEurope, il a parcourulEgypte, la Palestine, la Syrie et lIran. Il a surtoutpratiqu laquarelle, technique qui dtermina savision plastique et assure sa place dans lhistoire

de lart roumain.Il travailla en France et se rendit souvent sur lacte bretonne, Concarneau et Douarnenez.Sa mthode de travail, inuence par la peintureextrme-orientale, est largement fonde sur laspontanit de limpression. La mme virtuositdu pinceau est vidente dans ses vues de port,peintes sur toile.Arnold peignit aussi des natures mortes : pendantles longues journes de mauvais temps sur lesctes bretonnes, il assemblait dans sa chambredes compositions de fruits de mer crevettes,

langoustines, homards. Quelques objetsfamiliers, placs ct, sur la mme table noire,sont reprsents de manire fougueuse, dans descouleurs vives qui exaltent leurs formes.

Born in Iassy, the capital of Moldavia, Max Arnold studied paintingthere at the cole des Beaux-Arts (1913-1919), before continuing hisstudies at the Institut Suprieur des Beaux-Arts in Rome. In 1923, he wasin Munich and Dresden, where he became familiar with expressionism.However, Arnold was not much inuenced by the contemporary artisticcurrents and it was travel which inuenced him the most. Apart fromEurope, he visited Egypt, Palestine, Syria and Iran. He painted mainly inwater-colour, a technique for which he became well-known and whichensured him a place in the history of Romanian art. (Water-colours byArnold are on show on the 4th oor of the De Rohan Tower).

Arnold often worked in France and frequently visited the coast of

Brittany at Concarneau and Douarnenez. His style was inuenced byfar-eastern painting techniques and largely based on the spontaneity ofimpression, as seen in his harbour scenes of oil on canvas. He also paintedstill life: during prolonged periods of bad weather on the Brittany coast,he assembled compositions on a black table in his room of seafood prawns, langoustines and lobsters beside everyday objects whose vividcolours intensify their shape.

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1. March en Bretagne (Douarnenez). Huile sur carton, [1939-

1940]. A market in Brittany (Douarnenez). Oil on cardboard,[1939-1940].

2.Port de pcheurs Douarnenez. Huile sur toile, [1939-1940].The shing harbour at Douarnenez. Oil on canvas, [1939-1940].

3.Nature morte aux langoustines. Huile sur toile, [1934-1938].Still life with langoustines. Oil on canvas, [1934-1938].

Max W. Arnold(Iassy, 1897 - Bucarest, 1946)

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Exposition du 12 juin au 4 octobre 2009Ouvert tous les jours de 9 18 h.Open every day june to september: 9am to 6pm

Tarifs :- Plein tarif : 4,00 - Tarif rduit : 2,50 - Gratuit pour les moins de 18 ans, etc.

Entry: -Adult: 4,00 / Concession: 2,50 / Free for under 18s

Accueil des groupes adultes, des classes et des centres de loisirs surrservation, laccueil du muse, pour une prsentation de lexposition.Tarif : 61 pour les groupes adultes et 30,50 pour les scolaires et lescentres de loisirs.Visites guides encadres par les guides confrenciers du ServicedAnimation du Patrimoine de la Ville de Quimper : tous les 2 jours 15 h du 15 juillet au 16 aot, (en alternance avec Visites Arts ettraditions populaires de Bretagne ) et Le dimanche 27 septembre.

Tarif individuel en plus du prix dentre : 1,50

INFOS PRATIQUES -Useful information

Muse dpartemental breton1 rue du roi Gradlon 29000 QUIMPER

Tl. 02 98 95 21 60 / fax 02 98 95 89 69

Textes crits par Philippe Le Stum, Conservateur en chef,Directeur du Muse dpartemental breton, daprs les contributions des redacteurs

du catalogue de lexposition, Dana Crian et Monica Enache,conservatrices du Muse national dArt de Roumanie.

Texts for the panels written by Philippe Le Stum, Chief Curator,Director of the Museum of Brittany following contributions from editors of the

exhibition catalogue, Mrs Dana Crian and Monica Enache.Traduction /Translation : Gillian Williams.

sauf mentions particulires, toutes uvres : Collection Muse national dArt de Roumanie,Bucarest - Galerie dArt roumain moderne.

useNationaldArtdeRoumanie,

Bucarest,20

09;clichsCostinMiroi,Mariu

sPreda.Miseenpage:Catherin

eTroprs/Musebreton

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