Nicolae VERMONT (Romanian, 1866‑1932) ✿

Nicolae Vermont (October 10, 1866 – June 14, 1932) was a Romanian realist painter, graphic artist and muralist. He was best-known for his wide range of subjects and his interest in social issues, and was an associate of the post-Impressionists Ştefan Luchian and Constantin Artachino, as well as a friend of the controversial art collector and political figure Alexandru Bogdan-Piteşti.

In 1896, Vermont, Luchian, Artachino and Bogdan-Pitesti, founded Salonul Independentilor, the local version of the French Societe des Artistes Independants. As Luchian incorporated Symbolism, Vermont developed his own style, a religious form of Realism. In parallel, with Luchian, Juan Alexandru Paraschivescu-Alpar, and Artachino, Vermont was one of the first to introduce themes related to the lives of unemployed individuals and social drifters, influenced by the Akademie der Bildenden Kunste's genre painting.

Bogdan-Pitesti declared Vermont "one of the most accomplished" among Romanian painters, and bought many of his works. In 1906, during the 40th celebration of King Carol I's ascension to the Romanian throne, Vermont's paintings were exhibited in Bucharest alongside the works of Grigorescu, Verona and Loghi.

During his artistic career, Vermont also painted churches in Cernavoda (1893) and Manesti, Prahova (1895), as well as decorating the ceilings of the Kalinderu (1904) and Cantacuzino Palaces in Bucharest.