Nicolae Orval Gropeanu or, in French, Nicolas Gropeano (28 November 1863, Bacău - 6 January 1936, Paris) was a Romanian painter, pastelist and illustrator; probably of Jewish ancestry. He is known primarily for genre scenes, portraits and figures. Other variations on his name as it appears in official documents include Nicolae Gropper, Naia Groper and Noah Gropper.[1]
Biography
He studied with Theodor Aman and Constantin Stăncescu, who was better known as an art critic. According to Jacques Doucet, a noted art collector, Gropeanu's debut at the Salon was very successful and the critics praised him as one of the best young Romanian painters. They were especially impressed with his pastels of children's portraits and oriental scenes.[2]
Several of his works were purchased by the French government. The existence of numerous Orientalist works would suggest that he travelled through North Africa and the Middle East at some unknown date.
