Stefan Florentina
Stefan Costel Floretina | |
|---|---|
 Florentina's self-portrait c.1862 | |
| Born | 12th April 1840 |
| Died | 2nd October 1926 |
| Nationality | Moldanian |
| Occupation | Paint |
Notable work | Dinner by the Sea |
Stefan Costel Florentina (12th April-1840-2nd October 1926) was a Moldani painter and artist best known for his work on the piece 'Dinner by the Sea' and his involvement in the Impressionism movement. During his long career, he was the most consistent and prolific practitioner of impressionism's philosophy of expressing one's perceptions before nature, which he applied through his depictions of landscapes.
Early Life
Florentina was raised in Bălrobia, in the Piechy and Sacalin Province, and became interested in the outdoors and drawing from an early age, according to his brother Eduard. His father Eugen supported his painting from a young age, seeing it as a possible future career path for the young boy as he noticed his talents however his mother was the opposite, harshly opposed to his painting, even allegedly burning one of his earliest collections of paintings. When his father died in 1856, his mother gave him permission to use some of his fathers inheritance money to go to the prestigious Sopava School of Art, which he was accepted at in 1857 and attended until 1860. While there, he met fellow painters Neculai Moisuc and Diana Macek, with Diana going on to be widely successful similarly to Stefan. Once he graduated he went on to paint some of his earliest pieces such as "The Green Tree" and "Bench by the Woods".
Career
By 1863, Florentina had become well-known in the art scene in Moldanovica, with some of his pieces selling for good amounts of money for the time, including "Barrow over the Valley" and notably "Ouval Boulevard". Florentina's career took a huge turn when he went on holiday to visit family in Cachia in 1866, where he painted "Dinner by the Sea", his most famous piece.