Artwork
Ilustrație la romanul „Baltagul” de Mihail Sadoveanu
Ilustrație la romanul „Baltagul” de Mihail Sadoveanu is a drawing by Ștefan Constantinescu. It dates from 1956 and is held in the collection of the Iași National Museum of Romanian Literature.
About this work
Overview
Ștefan Constantinescu’s 1956 illustration was created to accompany Mihail Sadoveanu’s novel “Baltagul.” The work is part of the collection of the Museum of Ethnography, where it is preserved as a visual complement to the literary text.
Subject & Meaning
The drawing depicts a small group of three figures moving together in an outdoor setting. The central figure, clad in a dark, striped coat and cap, holds the hand of a woman on the right, who wears a light headscarf and a dark apron. A third, more distant figure follows, suggesting a shared journey or communal activity.
Technique & Style
Constantinescu employs rapid, loose lines to convey motion and the texture of clothing, using cross‑hatching to build tonal depth. The sketch’s slightly blurred background and rough edges give it an everyday, unpolished character, emphasizing immediacy over detailed realism.
History & Provenance
Executed in 1956, the illustration was likely produced as part of a publishing project for Sadoveanu’s novel. It later entered the Museum of Ethnography’s holdings, where it remains accessible for study of mid‑twentieth‑century Romanian illustration.
Artist & collection
Artist
Ștefan Constantinescu made prints, portraits, and city scenes in the 1930s–50s. His Still Life with Pheasant shows off a painted bird on a table, while Peisaj urban gives us rooftops and windows in thick, soft…
Museum
Iași National Museum of Romanian Literature
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