Mathieu Rosianu (1897-1969) - Meditation

Mathieu Rosianu (1897-1969)
Meditation, circa 1930
Pencil on paper
Stamp of the workshop on the back
Dimensions of the sheet: 20 x 15.5 cm
Dimensions of the frame: 30 x 30 cm
Tiny stain at the top left

Born in Bucharest in 1897, Mathieu Rosianu left Romania in 1918 to join Paris where he followed an artistic training at the National School of Decorative Arts and then at the School of Fine Arts. He exhibited his first paintings in 1920 during collective events. At the dawn of the 1930s, Mathieu Rosianu became involved in politics within the Communist Party. His work quickly became part of the movement of artists raising the question of the social role of art.

He became a member of the Association of Writers and Revolutionary Artists created in 1932 alongside André Breton, Jean Giono, André Gide, Francis Jourdain or Charlotte Perriand. In 1934, he produced the preface to the catalog of the Salon des Peintres Révolutionnaires where works by committed artists were exhibited, including Jean Lurçat, Fernand Léger, André Lhote and Maurice Estève. Mathieu Rosianu distanced himself from the Party the following year and devoted himself to carrying out decorative projects for fabrics and wallpapers under the pseudonym of Émile Arbor.

The example of Paul Cézanne had a strong impact on his first works with very deep volumes. Mathieu Rosianu's painting is part of the desire to reconnect with the reality dear to post-war artists. Roger Bissière, formerly presented as his master, also exerted a decisive influence on the young artist. Consequently, the art of Mathieu Rosianu will endeavor to exalt the dignity of the popular classes. He puts his art at the service of the people through subjects calling for the social revolution.

The work we present is a fine example of his surrealist work.