Artwork
Femeie în oglindă
Femeie în oglindă is an unspecified painting by Pericle Capidan. It is held in the collection of the Colecție particulară - Cluj.
About this work
Overview
The work titled “Femeie în oglindă” presents a solitary female figure clutching a large bouquet of vivid pink blossoms. She is dressed in a dark gown and a decorative red hat edged with gold. The composition is set against a deep, shadowed backdrop, allowing the bright flowers and the woman’s facial features to dominate the visual field.
Subject & Meaning
The central focus is the juxtaposition of the woman’s somber attire with the exuberant floral arrangement, suggesting a contrast between restraint and vitality. The prominence of the bouquet may allude to themes of femininity, abundance, or personal adornment, while the subdued setting emphasizes the figure’s introspective presence.
Technique & Style
The artist employs pronounced, textured brushwork that renders the flower petals with a near‑tactile realism. Light is directed onto the woman’s face and hands, creating a luminous effect that separates them from the surrounding darkness, a clear use of chiaroscuro to model form and enhance spatial depth.
Context
While specific historical details are not provided, the painting’s stylistic choices—rich coloration, dramatic lighting, and emphasis on material texture—align it with late‑19th to early‑20th‑century European portraiture that explored the interplay of light and surface.
Artist & collection
Artist
Pericle Capidan painted everyday scenes and quiet moments in oils. His brush captured a Sighișoara street, his own mother in 1902, and a 1923 harem scene among other interiors. He worked from the late 1800s into the…
