Landscape of Chioggia, Venice

In 1934, Gheorghe Petrașcu created a series of paintings featuring urban landscapes from Venice. The sky, walls, and sea are transformed into solid matter due to the way the colors were applied. The artist chose a painting technique that involves mixing or placing colors directly on the canvas or cardboard. Upon close inspection, one can see strokes of yellow and blue in the water, while the white of the facades is far from being pure white.

The painter traveled extensively both within Romania and abroad, especially in France and Italy, and each journey provided a new opportunity for learning. Gheorghe Petrașcu had a solitary nature, and Venice provided him with the perfect setting to isolate himself in his work, yet still be surrounded by people.
"At a corner of a canal, in a lonely square, in one of those shady courtyards where it's cool even on the hottest days, on streets bustling with a cheerful crowd, Petrașcu often set up his easel." (George Oprescu)

Interwar artists oscillated between identifying a Romanian identity and character, and the fascination with the exotic and the unknown. We invite you to visit the newly reorganized Romanian Art Gallery, where, alongside paintings by Gheorghe Petrașcu, you will also discover other artists who were marked by their travels.