- Ion Ţuculescu
Ion Ţuculescu (
May 19 ,1910 –July 27 ,1962 ) was aRomania n expressionist and abstract oil painter, although professionally he worked as a biologist and physician. His artwork became well-known posthumously, when, in the spring of 1965, a major retrospective exhibition revealed him as one of the important post-World War II Europeanmodern art ists.Biography
Born in
Craiova , into a family ofintellectual s, he attended theCarol I High School in the city. In the art classes he was guided by teacherEugen Ciolac , who taught him some of the techniques he was to use. His participation was first noted during the exhibition organized in 1925 in the reception hall of theDolj County Administrative Palace. Although his artistic talent was becoming appreciated, Ţuculescu did not attend a higher-education art school; instead, he went to the Faculty of Natural Sciences within theUniversity of Bucharest , where he would graduate in 1936. In parallel, he also attended theBucharest Medical University, graduating "magna cum laude " in 1939.Between 1930 and 1934, he took several trips to
Greece ,Turkey , Palestine andEgypt , either together withGala Galaction and his daughters, or with his own fiancée, Maria Fotiade (whom he married onMay 5 ,1935 ). It was during these trips that he retook to painting, being inspired by theMediterranean landscapes.His first personal exhibition would take place in 1938 in the
Romanian Athenaeum hall of Bucharest. By 1960, Ţuculescu had taken part in several collective exhibitions, and had also displayed his works at the Official Salon (in 1941 and 1945). He had had seven personal exhibitions at the Romanian Athenaeum.With the exception of the war period, when he was drafted into the
Romanian Army as acombat medic , the practice of medicine did not take up much of his time. Biology had become his second most important interest, and he worked as ascientific research er within theRomanian Academy . Anautodidact in painting, Ţuculescu worked intensely after his second debut. Although he was continuously present in the artistic life of the time, his work found almost no response.He died in Bucharest at the age of 52, and was buried in the
Cernica monastery graveyard, in the Galaction family vault.Art
Posthumously, his paintings would be the subject of critical acclaim, and, promoted by figures such as
Petru Comarnescu , were the focus of numerous exhibitions inside Romania and abroad.In his early years, Ţuculescu's work was marked by the influence of figurative
Expressionism , gathering themes and subjects fromRomanian folklore . He did not abandon their influence as he moved towardabstract expressionism , making use of decorative elements originating in thefolk art of his native region,Oltenia .References
*ro icon [http://www.itcnet.ro/tuculescu The Ion Ţuculescu Retrospective Exhibition]
*ro icon [http://www.itcnet.ro/tuculescu Ion Ţuculescu presentation] at "Mari Români "
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