A foray into Aman’s ‘secret room’

Several dozens of drawing works are presented under the title “Aman – Line, dot. Theodor Aman – draughtsman”, until the beginning of November, in the engraving room, where the press brought from France on which the master was working, and in the main salon of the museum dedicated to the master in the center of the capital.

Being drawings on paper, in this case, it is a rare opportunity to enter the artist’s “laboratory”. The drawing – however complex or simple – is, in Theodor Aman’s case too, preparatory to the masterpiece. The fragility of these works means that they are rarely exhibited to the public, and only for a short time. They are stored in special conditions in warehouses, so that they can be seen by other generations, years later.

One of the special works is Theodor Aman’s self-portrait of himself in Paris. Above the negative, an aquatint, is the sketch for the large-scale oil painting which belongs to the Romanian National Museum of Art.

Among others, sketches for landscapes, portraits and genre scenes can be seen. “Landscape at the Hera”, “Woman on a Walk”, “A Piano Lesson”, “Hera”, “Artist’s Mother – Fantasy ( A Lady Among Flowers)”, “Marquise” and “Little Girl Playing” – all in sepia or black ink with pen on paper, conte pencil and chalk on paper.

From drawing to masterpiece

“Drawing exhibitions are rare and short-lived. It’s an extremely fragile technique – in terms of medium and material – and these are works that need extraordinary care. It is an extraordinary event to be able to see a master’s drawings after 100 years, 150 years and even more. (…) When you walk into a drawing exhibition, you have the feeling of tiptoeing into someone’s most secret room. Drawings are an artist’s laboratory”, Greta Șuteu, curator, art historian and museographer at the Theodor Aman Museum – Bucharest Museum, emphasized at the opening.

Each artist works in his own style, and Aman’s is intricate, detailed, meticulous. “We start from point and line. That’s what you create from. They are the main characters. That’s where the drawing starts and from there you eventually get to the masterpiece. It’s interesting to see how the masterpiece came about. When you analyze the drawings, you discover a very varied Aman. As he is in painting. He went through all sorts of episodes and evolved throughout his life. So are his drawings. We have very clear, precise, well-contoured and well-constructed drawings, but also wavy drawings that create a dialog with the viewer, inviting him to analyze,” added Șuteu.

“Aman – Line, dot. Theodor Aman – draughtsman “can be visited until November 6, from Wednesday to Sunday between 10:00 and 18:00.