Petre Hârtopeanu

• Name — Petre Hârtopeanu • Born — 15 June 1913 • Birthplace — Dângeni, Botoșani County, Kingdom of Romania • Died — 22 March 2001 • Place of death — Frankfurt, Germany • Known for — painting • Alma Mater — Iași Academy of Fine Arts • Training — Nicolae Tonitza • Movement — Post-Impressionism Expressionism

Hârtopeanu began his studies and work in Iași. He studied at the Iași Academy of Fine Arts, where he had Nicolae Tonitza as a professor in 1937. He later became a professor and dean at the Academy of Fine Arts. After emigrating in 1970 from Romania, he lived in Frankfurt, West Germany. Hârtopeanu was married to Frida Klamer, a medical doctor, and had two daughters.

Beginning in 1975, he was a member of the Association for Free and Applied Arts EV Darmstadt, for decades a fixed place in the Darmstadt art life. From 1950, he had numerous exhibitions at home and abroad. His paintings are an expression of his intense search for the perfect effect of a particular composition. His paintings of natural or cultural landscapes were light and airy, determined by the play of light on the scene. His work often portrayed still lifes using a clever arrangement with alluring colors and subtle lighting. The symbols in his still lifes are often flowers, the glorification of God in his works. Plants, often tree-lined avenues represent the four seasons and symbolize the annual flow.