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 History painting is a genre in painting defined by its subject matter rather than any artistic style or specific period. History paintings depict a moment in a narrative story, most often (but not exclusively) Greek and Roman mythology and Bible ...

, he is best known for his portraits.

Biography

He was born into a family of merchants. In 1827, he went to

Buda Buda (; german: Ofen, sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Budim, Будим, Czech and sk, Budín, tr, Budin) was the historic capital of the Kingdom of Hungary and since 1873 has been the western part of the Hungarian capital Budapest, on the ...

to study painting, but it is not known where or with whom he studied, so he may have been essentially self-taught. In any event, he made his first contacts with Romanian revolutionaries and became a friend of Zaharia Carcalechi, contributing articles, translations and portraits to his ''Romanian Library''.Paul Rezeanu
''Bicentenarul nașterii lui Constantin Lecca''
from the cultural magazine ''Ramuri'', published by the Writer's Union. In 1833, he accepted an invitation to teach at the "Școala Centrală" (Central School) in

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 ...

. Five years later, he became the founder and editor of one of Romania's first cultural magazines, ''Mozaicul''. He also started a family and was sufficiently successful to travel extensively, including a trip to Paris from 1847 to 1848, where he joined the circle of Romanian patriots, centered around

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

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 ...

, among others. When he returned home, he participated in the Wallachian Revolution of 1848, having to quit his position and leave his family for fear of reprisals. After remaining under cover in his hometown for a time, he was able to secure a professorship at

Saint Sava National College The Saint Sava National College (Romanian: ''Colegiul Național Sfântul Sava''), Bucharest, named after Sabbas the Sanctified, is the oldest and one of the most prestigious high schools in Romania. It was founded in 1694, under the name of t ...

, thanks to the intercession of

Petrache Poenaru Petrache Poenaru (; 10 January 1799 – 2 October 1875) was a Romanian inventor of the Enlightenment era. Poenaru, who had studied in Paris and Vienna and, later, completed his specialized studies in England, was a mathematician, physicist, en ...

. One of his best-known students was

Theodor Aman Theodor Aman (20 March 1831 – 19 August 1891) was a Romanian painter, engraver and art professor. He mostly produced genre and history scenes. Biography His father was a cavalry commander from Craiova but he was born in Câmpulung, where his f ...

. For the next fifteen years, he collaborated with

Mișu Popp Mișu Popp (March 19, 1827 – March 6, 1892) was a Romanian painter and muralist. Biography Born in Brașov, in the Principality of Transylvania, he was the eighth child of Ioan Popp Moldovan de Galați (1774–1869) and Elena (1783–1867 ...

, painting murals at several churches throughout Bucharest and the nearby countryside. Among them was the

Curtea Veche Church The Curtea Veche Church ( ro, Biserica Curtea Veche) is a Romanian Orthodox church located at 33 Franceză Street in the Lipscani quarter of Bucharest, Romania. It is dedicated to the Feast of the Annunciation and to Saint Anthony the Great. Hist ...

, the oldest religious building in Bucharest that has not been significantly altered. It was at this time that he also established his reputation as a portrait painter. In 1870, illness forced him to retire and he painted little, although he lived for seventeen more years.

Selected paintings

File:Constantin Lecca - Batran.jpg, An Old Man File:Constantin Lecca - Albanez.jpg, An Albanian File:Constantin Lecca - Dragos Voda la vanatoarea zimbrului.jpg, Dragoș Vodă
Hunting Bison File:Constantin Lecca - Portret de doamna descifrind o partitura.jpg, Lady Reading
a Musical Score File:Constantin Lecca - Portretul Mariei Maiorescu.jpg, Titu Maiorescu's Mother, Maria

References

External links

Revista de cultura ''Mozaicul''
new series {{DEFAULTSORT:Lecca, Constantin 1807 births 1887 deaths People from Brașov Romanian muralists Portrait painters 19th-century Romanian painters

Biography

Selected paintings

References

Further reading

External links