Theodor Aman (20 March 1831 – 19 August 1891) was a

Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania ** Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditiona ...

painter, engraver and art professor. He mostly produced

genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other f ...

and history scenes.

Biography

His father was a cavalry commander from

Craiova Craiova (, also , ), is Romania's 6th Cities in Romania, largest city and capital of Dolj County, and situated near the east bank of the river Jiu River, Jiu in central Oltenia. It is a longstanding political center, and is located at approximatel ...

but he was born in Câmpulung, where his family had fled to escape the plague."Pictorul care a copilărit în curtea bisericii"
(The Painter who Grew Up in the Churchyard) from ''Ziarul Lumina'', 6 January 2010 , After displaying an early affinity for art, he took his first lessons with

Constantin Lecca Constantin Lecca (; 4 August 1807 – 13 October 1887) was a Romanian painter and art professor. He was the first Romanian artist to create Western-style religious paintings. Although he worked in a variety of genres, including history painting, ...

Brief biography
@ Welcome to Romania. and at Carol I National College. In 1850, he went to Paris, where he studied briefly with

Michel Martin Drolling Michel Martin Drolling (7 March 1786 – 9 January 1851) was a neoclassic French painter, painter of history and portraitist. Biography He was born in Paris. There, he began painting under the supervision of his father, the painter Martin Dr ...

then, after Drolling's death, with

François-Édouard Picot François-Édouard Picot (; 10 October 1786 in Paris – 15 March 1868 in Paris) was a French painter during the July Monarchy, painting mythological, religious and historical subjects. Life Born in Paris, Picot won the Prix de Rome paint ...

. While there, he became part of the Romanian revolutionary circles. In 1853 he has his first display at the

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon ( ...

in Paris, showing his ''Autoportrait.'' While in Paris, he became friends with other like-minded artists and Romanian revolutionaries such as

Nicolae Bălcescu Nicolae Bălcescu () (29 June 181929 November 1852) was a Romanian Wallachian soldier, historian, journalist, and leader of the 1848 Wallachian Revolution. Early life Born in Bucharest to a family of low-ranking nobility, he used his mother ...

, and the writers

Dimitrie Bolintineanu Dimitrie Bolintineanu (; 14 January 1819 (1825 according to some sources), Bolintin-Vale – 20 August 1872, Bucharest) was a Romanian poet, though he wrote in many other styles as well, diplomat, politician, and a participant in the revolut ...

, and

Cezar Bolliac Cezar Bolliac or Boliac, Boliak (March 23, 1813 – February 25, 1881) was a Wallachian and Romanian radical political figure, amateur archaeologist, journalist and Romantic poet. Life Early life Born in Bucharest as the son of Anton Bogliako ...

. In this environment, influenced by revolutionary ideas, Aman completed the historical themed painting “''Mihai VIteazul’s First Night”,'' which was inspired by the writings of Bolintineanu. As a result of his strong patriotic sentiments, he participated in the Romanian Revolution of 1848 along with Ioan Maiorescu, Eugeniu Carada, and other revolutionaries. After that, he went to Istanbul in an effort to sell some paintings to the Sultan and visited

Sevastopol Sevastopol (; uk, Севасто́поль, Sevastópolʹ, ; gkm, Σεβαστούπολις, Sevastoúpolis, ; crh, Акъя́р, Aqyár, ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea, and a major port on the Black Sea ...

during the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the ...

, creating history paintings with themes related to Romania's nationalist aspirations. In 1855, he presented one of his best-known works, depicting the

Battle of Alma The Battle of the Alma (short for Battle of the Alma River) was a battle in the Crimean War between an allied expeditionary force (made up of French, British, and Ottoman forces) and Russian forces defending the Crimean Peninsula on 20Septem ...

, at the Exposition Universelle. He returned to Romania in 1857, settling in Bucharest where he starts the foundation of his school the

Bucharest National University of Arts The National University of Arts in Bucharest ( ro, Universitatea Naţională de Arte) is a university in Bucharest preparing students in fine arts. The National University of Arts is a higher education institution in Bucharest. History The Nat ...

. When he returned home, he was knighted by Prince

Barbu Dimitrie Știrbei Barbu Dimitrie Știrbei (), also written as ''Stirbey'', (17 August 1799 – April 13, 1869), a member of the Bibescu boyar family, was a hospodar (Prince of Wallachia) on two occasions, between 1848 and 1853, and between 1854 and 1856.I ...

and presented with a scholarship to continue his studies in Paris, where he came under the influence of the

Barbizon school The Barbizon school of painters were part of an art movement towards Realism in art, which arose in the context of the dominant Romantic Movement of the time. The Barbizon school was active roughly from 1830 through 1870. It takes its name ...

. After a brief stay in Rome, he returned to Bucharest. In 1864, he and Gheorghe Tattarescu convinced Romania's ruler,

Alexandru Ioan Cuza Alexandru Ioan Cuza (, or Alexandru Ioan I, also anglicised as Alexander John Cuza; 20 March 1820 – 15 May 1873) was the first ''domnitor'' (Ruler) of the Romanian Principalities through his double election as prince of Moldavia on 5 Janua ...

, to establish the "National School of Fine Arts" (now known as the Bucharest National University of Arts). Aman was appointed its first Director and held that position until his death. Theodor Aman remained headmaster of the school until his death. In 1889 and 1890 he displayed his work in exhibits at the
New Museum
'' At this point in his career he chose to focus on painting still life, and small portraits. Bellu 130222 81

He died on 19 August 1891 due to a prostate infection. In 1908 his Bucharest his home and workshop was converted into the Theodor Aman Museum in dedication to his life and works. The museum is one of the oldest memorial museums in Romania and houses a large number of Aman paintings. The exhibit ”Theodor Aman — painter and engraver” was inaugurated on March 24, 2011, at th
Controceni National Museum
The exhibit ”The mysteries of Theodor Aman’s painting,” was inaugurated at the Theodor Aman Museum on December 23, 2014. In 2014, to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the school's founding, Poșta Română issued a commemorative stamp with Aman's likeness.

Selected paintings

File:Theodor Aman - Gipsy Girl, 1884.jpg, Gypsy Girl File:Theodor Aman - Primul atelier al pictorului la Paris.jpg, First Workshop in Paris File:Theodor Aman - Street in Cîmpulung, 1890.jpg, Street in

Câmpulung Câmpulung (also spelled ''Cîmpulung'', , german: Langenau, Old Romanian ''Dlăgopole'', ''Длъгополе'' (from Middle Bulgarian)), or ''Câmpulung Muscel'', is a municipality in the Argeș County, Muntenia, Romania. It is situated amon ...

File:Theodor Aman - Vlad the Impaler and the Turkish Envoys.jpg,

Vlad the Impaler Vlad III, commonly known as Vlad the Impaler ( ro, Vlad Țepeș ) or Vlad Dracula (; ro, Vlad Drăculea ; 1428/311476/77), was Voivode of Wallachia three times between 1448 and his death in 1476/77. He is often considered one of the most im ...

and the Turkish Envoys File:Tudor Vladimirescu.jpg, Portrait of Tudor Vladimirescu

References

External links

Aman, între conștiința istorică și hedonism
(Between Historical Consciousness and Hedonism) by Adrian Silvan Ionescu from ''Ziarul de Duminică'', 6 April 2011

@ Muzeul Municipiului București {{DEFAULTSORT:Aman, Theodor 1831 births 1891 deaths People from Câmpulung Romanian people of Armenian descent Carol I National College alumni 19th-century Romanian painters Romanian graphic designers Romanian printmakers Members of the Romanian Academy elected posthumously Burials at Bellu Cemetery

Biography

Selected paintings

References

Further reading

External links