Camil Ressu (1880 – 1962) was boirn in Galati, where he would spend his early years, and started painting and drawing in his teens, when for the first time he tought about becoming an artist. Painting became more than a hobby for spending his time, it became a passion and a refuge in every difficult moment. He was also encouraged by his father. In 1897 – 1899 he enrolled at the Fine Arts School in Bucharest, where Ressu studied under GD Mirea, then at the Fine Arts School in Iasi, until 1902, where he studied with Gheorghe Popovici.
Drawn towards German art, he finally left for Munich, to discover the museums and galleries there. In 1902 – 1908 he was in Paris, working in the studio of Jean Paul Laurens at the famous Academie Julian and discovering with enthusiasm the new and classical French artists. He returned to Romania in 1908 and began publishing in magazines a series of small satirical drawings, mainly in Adevarul, Cronica, Facla, many with political subtext. These kind of works made his name increasingly popular.
He exhibited at several oficial salons, group shows in Romania and abroad and in 1914 had his first ever solo exhibition, in Bucharest, with surprising success. In 1917, together with other important artists such as Nicolae Darascu, Stefan Dimitrescu, Iosif Iser, Dimitrie Paciurea, Cornel Medrea founded the “Arta Romana”, a cultural association dedicated to the promotion of Romanian art. In 1921, four years later, he would also be one of the founders of the Romanian Artists Sindicate, which he also presided for two years. Until 1941 he was also a teacher and later the rector of the Fine Arts Academy in Bucharest. In 1950 he became an honourary president of the Plastic Artists Union of Romania and taught at the Nicolae Grigorescu Art Institute. He was elected a member of the Romanian Academy in 1952.
An interesting and important artist, with an easily recognisable style, famous especially for his peasant scenes, still lifes and landscapes, Camil Ressu was often imitated and “continued” by younger generations of artists. He was especially fond of the rural universe, making his compositions in a classical style, with touches of French Impressionism.
2008-06-09
