Gheorghe Năsturel

Gheorghe Năsturel painted portraits in 1930s Bucharest, where artists often met in cafés along Calea Victoriei. His 1936 oil “Portretul Mioarei Minulescu cu țigara” shows the poetess leaning on a draped table, cigarette smoke curling toward the light over her shoulder. It captures the era’s spare elegance: muted ochres, a single red book spine, and the sharp geometry of a chair back behind her. See how the ash on her cigarette glows almost like a tiny ruby. Next, tap the beret and brushstrokes in his portrait of Nicolae Tonitza.