Artwork
Casă (Casa Procopoaiei)
Casă (Casa Procopoaiei) is a print by Gheorghe Petrașcu. It dates from 1920 and is held in the collection of the Bucharest Municipality Museum.
About this work
Overview
Created circa 1920, *Casă (Casa Proprocăoaiei)* is an oil painting by Romanian artist Gheorghe Petrașcu. The work belongs to the Museum of Ethnography’s holdings and portrays a modest rural dwelling linked to the Procopoaia legend of Romanian folklore. Petrașcu, born in 1872, is noted for his landscapes and genre scenes, and later became a titular member of the Romanian Academy.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on a solitary house with a sloping roof, weathered walls and a small porch extending to the left. A vivid red door provides a focal point amid the muted tones of the surrounding terrain. The setting evokes the rustic atmosphere of the Procopoaia narrative, suggesting themes of tradition and the passage of time in a rural context.
Technique & Style
Petrașcu employs a loose, rapid brushwork that conveys an impression of immediacy, as if painted en plein air. Thick applications of paint—impasto—in selected areas give the structure a tactile, rough surface. The palette is restrained, dominated by whites, browns and blues, with occasional bright accents that draw the eye to specific details such as the door.
History & Provenance
After its creation, the painting entered the collection of the Museum of Ethnography, where it remains on display. Petrașcu’s career included extensive exhibition activity across Romania, and his reputation grew to the point of his election to the Romanian Academy in 1936, cementing his status within the national artistic canon.
Context
The work reflects Petrașcu’s interest in Romanian folk motifs and the everyday architecture of the countryside. By referencing the Procopoaia legend, the painting situates itself within a broader cultural effort of the early twentieth century to document and valorize national folklore through visual art.
Artist & collection
Artist
Gheorghe Petrașcu (Romanian pronunciation: ; 20 November 1872, Tecuci – 1 May 1949, Bucharest) was a Romanian painter.
