Chivuţele
The Whitewashers
Within an already known composition on diagonal,
whose rhythm is set by the vertical elements (the
brushes), the whitewashers wait for their clients in
front of "Hanul lui Manuc" (Manuc’s Inn). There is a
large resemblance between Ionescu’s photo and one of
the first paintings of Jean E. Steriadi – "The
Whitewashers from the Grand Market" (1904). The
painter had preferred a frontal and dynamic
composition (we feel the movement within the
whitewashers’ group and it seems that there is a
small dispute going on), while in Ionescu’s photo
the whitewashers have aligned themselves on the
footpath, overwhelmed by the heat. Besides,
Ionescu’s characters do not speak to one another;
some of them have already seen the photographer, but
their look is inexpressive. There have been more
than two decades between the date when Steriadi
painted his painting and the date when Ionescu took
this photo. The strange resemblance of the two
compositions suggests nevertheless the fact that the
tradition has been kept.
J. E. Steriadi - The
Whitewashers from the Grand Market (1904)
