He was born on April 13th 1886 in Barlad and in 1902 he left his hometown and moved to Iasi, where he enrolled at the National Fine Arts School, were he had the chance of studying under respected teachers and artists such as Gheorghe Popovici or Emaniol Bardasare. It was here that the young, eager artist, who would eventually become a master of Romanian art, took his first lessons, became acustomed to the history of art and slowly, but surely, started to build his own, unique style. He left for Italy in 1903, for a short trip, and in 1908 he settled in Munich, Germany, where he enrolled at the prestigious Konigliche Bayerische Akademie der Bildenden Kunste.
He had his first small exhibitions in Germany, sent several drawings and articles to Romanian magazines and later travelled once again to Italy and then moved to Paris, where he would spend the next two years. It was here that he met several important artists of those times, visited museums and galleries, perfected his manner by making several copies of Old Masters. It was beginning to show that the artist, despite his age, was bound to be a great voice in Romanian and European arts. His choice of coulurs, themes and lines, the way he played and experimented, the strenght of his works, all were surprising, fresh and unique. Impressed by the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist artists, he produced several portraits, still lifes, landscapes, which he often exhibited in his small studio, in Montparnasse.
Tonitza finally returned home in 1911 and imediatelly began exhibiting, first at the "Tinerimea artistica" shows. He finally finished his studies at the Fine Arts School and began - surprisingly for many - painting churches. His compositions were not likely according to religious norms, but also incredibly vivid and beautiful, and churches in Scorteni, Siliste, Valeni - to mention but a few - still have Tonitza's works. In 1916 he exhibited almost one hundred drawings and paintings in Bucharest. After the war he settled in Bucharest, where he continued working, exhibiting and publishing articles and drawings in Socialist newspapers and magazines.
In 1925 Tonitza - together with Francisc Sirato, Oscar Han and Stefan Dumitrescu - chose to retreat from the "Arta Romana" Association and founded "Grupul cleor patru" (The Group of Four), a reaction to what they rejected in "official" artistic world. The four artists would exhibit several times over the next years, but already Tonitza was considered the single most important Romanian living artist. So he had the opportunity of exhibits in Barcelona, Amsterdam, Brussels, and in 1933 became a teacher at the Fine Arts Academy in Iasi. In 1937 he was elected rector of the institution. It was a time of hard work and wonderous achievements, like Tonitza knew that he already was on borrowed time.
He paints, draws, he exhibits, teaches and helps younger artists. Feeling more and more ill, in 1939 he was already almost dying. He passed away on February 26th 1940, much, much too early for an astounding talent.
Nicolae Tonitza holds a very special place in the history of Romanian arts. Many consider him to be the most important national artist of all times, or at least of the 20th century. Highly influential and admired, he inspired several generations of artists with his works, which were at the same time original, strong and vivid.
