He also started a family and was sufficiently successful to travel extensively, including a trip to Paris from 1847 to 1848, where he joined the circle of Romanian patriots, centered around Nicolae Bălcescu and Dimitrie Bolintineanu, among others.

[1] When he returned home, he participated in the Wallachian Revolution of 1848, having to quit his position and leave his family for fear of reprisals.

After remaining under cover in his hometown for a time, he was able to secure a professorship at Saint Sava National College, thanks to the intercession of Petrache Poenaru.

For the next fifteen years, he collaborated with Mișu Popp, painting murals at several churches throughout Bucharest and the nearby countryside.

Among them was the Curtea Veche Church, the oldest religious building in Bucharest that has not been significantly altered.