Portraits of peasants and women as well as a great variety of still lifes by the famous Romanian painter Ion Theodorescu-Sion (1882-1939) are on display at the National Art Museum of Moldova.

Tudor Zbârnea, the Museum’s director, describes Theodorescu-Sion as one of the most important artists of the Romanian school of painting who had a strong connection with Bessarabia. The painter was educated in Bucharest and Paris, being guided by various artists with different aesthetic visions.

“We observe from his creation, and from the 46 works that we have here, the dynamics of this artist, who always struggled in search of new solutions, new artistic procedures to evolve and revolutionize as far as we can say Romanian painting”, said Zbârnea.

Many of the items on display are works of exceptional value that are part of Romania’s cultural heritage, added the director.

The exhibition is made possible with the support of the Romanian Government’s Department for Relations with the Republic of Moldova, which also supports several other cultural projects in our country.

Monica Dumitru, of the Romanian private gallery Art Safari, said that Ion Theodorescu-Sion is a prominent personality of Romanian interbellum art. In his works, he focuses especially on scenes with a neo-Romanian theme. “The painter captured absolutely fabulous scenes where you can see figures of peasant men and women in a very elegant, monumental manner. Ion Theodorescu-Sion tried to practically celebrate them in these compositions, understanding the importance of the peasant, promoting the national identity”.

The historian and art critic Tudor Stăvilă mentioned that the artist created monumental paintings with Romanian motifs and subjects, in which he glorified the peasantry like a poet. “Ion Theodorescu-Sion is unique in the way he discovers reality, in the way he depicts it, and it is a marvel indeed to see these paintings in the National Art Museum”, said Tudor Stăvilă.

The exhibition will run until September 15.