Constanta Art Museum

Nicolae Grigorescu, Flori de nalbă, ulei pe carton, 300 x 170

„Women on the Beach”

Ștefan DIMITRESCU (1886–1933)

The painting was most likely made between 1927 and 1933 when, returning from his studies in Paris, the artist made several trips through his native country, including Dobrogea. The painting belongs to the category of genre scenes and presents a specific aspect of the Dobrogea region. Two women, dressed in swimsuits, relax by the sea, in a hot climate dominated by natural light. From a white sheet, the women seem to have improvised a screen to protect them from the scorching sun. In the lower left corner of the painting are some objects: a beach bag, a book and a bottle. Shades of blue dominate both the landscape and the clothing of the two women, who are joined by shades of white-brown, used in lighter tones on the sand surface and darker on women’s bodies. The painter added shades of white, red and yellow, so as not to create a monotonous chromatic, which give vigor to the painting. The contoured shapes are solid, and the tonal contrasts give them volume, which gives a sculptural look to human figures. As a whole, the painting represents a synthesis of the entire artistic creation of Ștefan Dimitrescu. The innate talent of the designer is harmonized in a balanced and harmonious composition with the study of color.