Artwork
Marginea orașului
Marginea orașului is a print by Alexandru Ciucurencu. It dates from 1947 and is held in the collection of the National Museum of Art of Romania.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1947, *Marginea orașului* is an oil work by Romanian painter Alexandru Ciucurencu. The composition depicts a modest settlement at the edge of a landscape, rendered under a muted sky. The scene is dominated by earthy tones and a restrained palette, conveying a quiet, almost desolate atmosphere that reflects the artist’s post‑war sensibility.
Subject & Meaning
The picture presents a small, muddy village with simple, dark‑hued structures, sloping roofs and scant windows. A narrow lane bisects the canvas, drawing the eye toward sparse trees and a distant hill. The subdued setting suggests a moment of stillness and isolation, hinting at the everyday hardships of rural life in mid‑twentieth‑century Romania.
Technique & Style
The handling of light and shadow, rendered with layered strokes, reinforces a three‑dimensional impression typical of his post‑Impressionist approach.
Ciucurencu employs a thick, impasto application of paint, building texture that gives the forms a palpable solidity. Rapid, rough brushstrokes in browns, blues and grays create a sense of movement in the sky and ground while maintaining overall compositional calm. The handling of light and shadow, rendered with layered strokes, reinforces a three‑dimensional impression typical of his post‑Impressionist approach.
History & Provenance
Born in Tulcea in 1903, Ciucurencu studied at Bucharest’s National School of Fine Arts before continuing his training in Paris at the Académie Julian under André Lhote. By the time he painted *Marginea orașului*, he was a corresponding member of the Romanian Academy, and the work reflects the techniques he absorbed during his French period. The painting remains in a Romanian public collection.
Artist & collection
Artist
Alexandru Ciucurencu (Romanian pronunciation: ; 27 September 1903 – 27 December 1977) was a Romanian Post-Impressionist painter, and a corresponding member of the Romanian Academy.
