Artwork
Fata și floarea (Portretul pictoriței Margareta Sterian)
Fata și floarea (Portretul pictoriței Margareta Sterian) is a print by Victor Brauner. It dates from 1930 and is held in the collection of the National Museum of Art of Romania.
About this work
Overview
Victor Brauner’s 1930 oil painting titled *Fata și floarea (Portretul pictoriței Margareta Sterian)* depicts a seated woman with dark hair, a solemn expression, and a single white flower tucked in her hair. She is dressed in a high‑necked, dark garment, set against a turbulent background of interwoven light and shadow that emphasizes her presence.
Subject & Meaning
The sitter is identified as the painter Margareta Sterian, a contemporary of Brauner. The restrained composition and the solitary flower may suggest a quiet dignity and an intimate glimpse into the artist’s personal circle, focusing attention on the individual rather than narrative symbolism.
Technique & Style
Brauner employs a stark chiaroscuro, contrasting the sharply rendered facial features with a loosely brushed, storm‑like backdrop. The brushwork varies from precise modeling of the face to gestural, almost atmospheric strokes, creating a visual tension that isolates the figure within an ambiguous space.
History & Provenance
Created in 1930, the work belongs to the early period of Brauner’s career, preceding his full engagement with Surrealism. The painting has remained in Romanian collections, reflecting its significance within the national artistic milieu of the interwar years.
Artist & collection
Artist
Victor Brauner was a Romanian painter and sculptor of the surrealist movement. He became a naturalized French citizen in 1963.
