Tree Portraits

The Cultural Construction of Landscape in Romanian Drawing (1850–1920)

Portrete de arbori. Construcția culturală a peisajului în desenul românesc (1850–1920)

Author: Irina Neacșu
Publisher: National Museum of Art of Romania Publishing House
Bucharest, 2026
ISBN: 978-630-6629-10-7
Language: Romanian

This publication was co-funded by the Administration of the National Cultural Fund of Romania (AFCN) and supported by the Bonte Foundation.

Tree Portraits explores the cultural construction of landscape through the representation of trees in Romanian drawing between 1850 and 1920. Bringing together art-historical research and visual analysis, the book examines how trees evolved from elements of landscape composition into subjects of artistic observation, cultural identity, and individual expression.

Moving between the Romanian Principalities and Transylvania, the study traces the development of landscape drawing across different artistic traditions and historical contexts. Through the works of artists including Carol Popp de Szathmári, Henri Trenk, Theodor Aman, Ion Andreescu, Nicolae Grigorescu, and Ștefan Luchian, it investigates the changing relationships between nature, artistic practice, and the cultural imagination.

Richly illustrated with historical drawings and artworks from museum collections, the volume offers a new perspective on the role of trees in Romanian visual culture. Developed from the author's doctoral research and supported by the Bonte Fellowship at the National Museum of Art of Romania (2025–2026), the publication contributes to a broader understanding of landscape as both an artistic subject and a cultural construction.

The book accompanies the exhibition Tree Portraits: The Cultural Construction of Landscape in Romanian Drawing (1850–1920), curated by Irina Neacșu at the National Museum of Art of Romania (5 November 2026 – 14 March 2027).