Theodor Aman was born on March 20, 1831, at Campulung Muscel, as a son of a Macedonian father and a Greek mother. He studied at Craiova, with Romanian painters such as Lecca and Wallenstein, then in Paris, with Michel Drolling and Francois Picot. He was a great admirer of Watteau, Rubens, Delacroix, Ingres, Courbet, Couture, and painted portraits, genre, still lives, landscapes, self-portraits, historic and "batailliste" scenes; he was also interested in architecture, music, engraving, literature. As a painter, he participated in the seige of Sevastopol and the battle of Alma. He contributed in improving the artist's status in the Romanian society, in founding the first Fine Arts School in Bucharest (1863); he was a pioneer of Impressionism and engraving, in Romania.
He died in August 19, 1891.
