Artwork
Mere și evantai
Mere și evantai is an unspecified painting by Gheorghe Petrașcu. It is held in the collection of the Museum of Art Cluj-Napoca. The work presents a metal bowl placed on a table, containing three apples and a pear.
About this work
Overview
The work presents a metal bowl placed on a table, containing three apples and a pear. The fruit is rendered with a painterly approach, where brushstrokes vary in thickness and some areas appear smudged. A dark, indistinct background recedes behind the scene, while the tablecloth is marked with patches of green and blue, and a red object—likely a book or box—protrudes from beneath the table edge.
Subject & Meaning
The composition focuses on everyday objects—a bowl of fruit and a partially visible red item—inviting contemplation of ordinary domestic still life. The juxtaposition of realistic fruit with a loosely rendered environment suggests a tension between observation and abstraction, emphasizing texture and material presence over narrative detail.
Technique & Style
The artist employs a thick application of paint, creating a tactile surface that gives the fruit a slightly bumpy texture. This impasto technique, with its varied brushstroke density, adds a three‑dimensional quality to the painted forms, contrasting with the softer, blurred treatment of the background and tablecloth.
History & Provenance
No specific historical or ownership information is provided for the piece; the description focuses solely on its visual characteristics and the artist’s method of applying paint.
Artist & collection
Artist
Gheorghe Petrașcu painted quiet scenes of buildings, streets, and still lifes in the 1920s and ’30s Romania.
