Nicolae
Grigorescu

The son of a peasant. He studied in Bucharest (up to 1855) and at the école des Beaux arts in Paris. In his youth, did the icons were painted churches and monasteries. In 1861≈69 worked in France, where he belonged to the Barbizon school. As the Romanian volunteer participated in the Russian-Turkish war of 1877≈78. He painted landscapes of Romania, portrait, historical, battle and genre scenes imbued with a deep democracy, free painting, with a fresh, somewhat vysvetleni flavor. His works ("a Farmer from Muscel", 1877, "Storm Smetana", 1885, "Cart pulled by oxen", circa 1890, if all in the art Museum of Romania, Bucharest) played an important role in the development of Romanian realist art of the late 19th ≈ early 20th centuries.

Born into a peasant family. He lost his father in childhood, he studied in the icon painting workshop of A. Chladek, wrote icons and painted temples. For the painting of the Church in Agapisa monastery (1858-1861) received the State scholarship to study in Paris. In 1862-1863 he studied at the School of fine arts in S. Root, then worked with artists barbizontsev in the forest of Fontainebleau. From time to time come to Romania (1864, 1867). Returning home in 1869 settled in Bucharest. In 1873-1874 visited Vienna, Venice, Padua, Florence, Rome, Naples, Athens, Constantinople. In 1880-1887 again lived in France, winter in Paris, summer in Brittany. Finally settled in Romania, in 1887, first in the town of Posada at the foot of the Carpathians, then in Campina.

On the formation of creativity Grigorescu was severely affected by familiarity with the masters of the Barbizon school and work together with them in the open air. The nature is the main theme of the artist's paintings. His landscapes, created in a time filled with light and air. Returning home, he writes of everyday scenes of rural life, characteristic types of peasants (returning from the fair, a Farmer from Muscel, both 1870, Bucharest, Museum of art). He is not looking for beautiful landscapes, but they are not into romantic color effects. The artist's works in it's casual: the dusty roads with wandering oxen, covered with woodland hills, sunlit and shrouded in shadow, but in all those unassuming landscape motives a lot of lyrical feelings. In his own words the master, he writes what touches his soul.

In 1877 Grigorescu as reporter-draftsman involved in the liberation war against Turkish rule. Numerous sketches and studies executed in the campaigns, are the valuable material for a large battle paintings, the most famous of which — the Assault Smetana (1885, Bucharest Museum of art).

Creativity Grigorescu had a strong impact on the younger generation of Romanian artists. His works were admired the skill of plein air painting, bright airy colors and a light, almost sketchy stroke.