Artwork
Case din București, iarna
Case din București, iarna is an unspecified painting by the Social Realist artist Vasile Popescu. It dates from 1935 and is held in the collection of the National Museum of Art of Romania.
About this work
Overview
Vasile Popescu’s 1935 work titled “Case din București, iarna” depicts a modest urban courtyard in winter. The composition centers on a corner where two aging structures meet, their façades muted by weathered paint and a pale sky that hints at a cold, quiet day.
Subject & Meaning
The scene presents a balcony with a wrought‑iron railing and a wooden door, opposite a tall window with a narrow ledge and a door left slightly ajar. The sparse architecture and subdued lighting convey a sense of stillness, suggesting the ordinary rhythms of city life during the winter months.
Technique & Style
Popescu employs soft, blended brushstrokes to render the interplay of light and shadow across the walls, while applying thicker paint in selective areas to give the surfaces a tactile quality. This impasto treatment adds texture to the buildings, enhancing the visual impression of age and weathering.
History & Provenance
Created in 1935, the painting belongs to the interwar period of Romanian art, a time when many artists turned to everyday urban scenes. The work remains attributed to Popescu, with its title and date documented in the artist’s catalogue raisonné.
Artist & collection
Artist
Vasile Popescu was a Romanian basketball player who competed in the 1952 Summer Olympics.
