Radio România Internațional

Tag: Brancusi

  • February 19, 2025

    February 19, 2025

    MEETING Romania will be represented by the interim president Ilie Bolojan today, in the second meeting on Ukraine hosted by France, political sources told AGERPRES. The countries invited to take part are Norway, Canada, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, the Czech Republic, Finland, Greece, Romania, Sweden and Belgium. On Monday, leaders from Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands and Denmark met in Paris, at the invitation of president Emmanuel Macron, alongside the leaders of the European Union and the NATO Secretary General, to discuss the latest developments related to Ukraine, in the context of the peace initiatives launched by the new American administration. ‘Romania, in its dual capacity as the EU member country with the longest border with Ukraine and the country that has consistently and from the very beginning provided multidimensional, humanitarian, economic and military support to its neighbour, has a direct interest in carrying on the collective European and Euro-Atlantic support for Ukraine, in response to the brutal and illegal war of aggression by the Russian Federation,’ stated the Romanian foreign ministry. On the other hand, president Bolojan Tuesday told the ambassadors accredited to Bucharest that Romania believes in the future of the EU and remains a pro-Atlantic state and a responsible ally.

     

    ELECTIONS The ruling coalition in Bucharest convenes today to complete the steps to set up an electoral alliance comprising the Social Democratic Party, the National Liberal Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, which will back the former Liberal leader Crin Antonescu in the presidential elections due in May. Asked whether he would withdraw from the presidential race in favor of the interim president Ilie Bolojan, Crin Antonescu ruled out this possibility. The new alliance is to be registered with the Central Electoral Bureau on Thursday. The 5 supreme court judges who will be part of the Bureau will also be designated by a drawing of lots at that time.

     

    BRANCUSI Every year on February 19 the National Day of Constantin Brâncuși is celebrated in Romania. The Romanian Cultural Institute organises in the coming period, both in the country and abroad, events marking the 149th birthday anniversary of the great Romanian sculptor. In 2024, the monumental ensemble “The Path of Heroes”, created by Constantin Brâncuși in Târgu Jiu, was included on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List. That same year, an important exhibition devoted to the Romanian artist was organised at the Pompidou Center in Paris. Most of his works belong to the Pompidou Center, as a legacy left to the French state, but many other famous works by Brancuși are hosted by major museums in the world.

     

    FOOTBALL Romanian football champions FCSB will play on Thursday evening at home against the Greek side PAOK Thessaloniki in the decisive leg of the play-offs for the round of 16 of the Europa League. In the first leg against the Greek team coached by the Romanian Răzvan Lucescu, FCSB won 2-1 away from home last week.

     

    WEATHER At the 2 Bucharest airports, “Henri Coandă” and Băneasa, flights may experience delays due to the need to de-ice aircraft. According to the Bucharest Airports National Company, no flights have been canceled because of the weather conditions, the runways and taxiways are operational, and planes are landing and taking off safely. The roads in 12 counties, especially in southern and central Romania, as well as in the capital city Bucharest, have been affected by heavy snowfalls in recent days, and dozens of collisions and skids have occurred, as some roads are partly covered with snow. According to meteorologists, as the sky clears, temperatures will drop more and more by the end of this week and at the beginning of next week, possibly reaching minus 15 degrees Celsius, including in Bucharest.  (AMP)

  • The “Pavel Obreja and Hanna Kozeletska’s Exhibition”

    The “Pavel Obreja and Hanna Kozeletska’s Exhibition”

    The two protagonists of this joint exhibition are sculptor Pavel Obreja, of the Republic of Moldova and Ukrainian, Hanna Kozeletska. A presentation of the aforementioned exhibition in Bucharest has been made by art critic Marius Tița.

    Marius Tita:” Pavel Obreja is modeling portraits, he is modeling faces. He has brought Brancusi to Bucharest, one of the best portraits I have ever seen. Next was the statue of Eminescu. A small bronze statue forged with his own hands by a young man who has just celebrated his 33rd anniversary.”

    Here is sculptor Pavel Obreja with more on this exhibition entitled April

    Pavel Obreja: ”I’ve come here from the south of the Republic of Moldova. I came to Bucharest with an exhibition entitled “April”. It’s a joint exhibition of mine and my wife’s, Hanna. Why April and why Bucharest? Because I met Hanna in Bucharest in April. And we came here with 22 pieces of sculpture and Hanna brought 42 paintings.”

    But what attracts Pavel Obreja to this sculpture technique?

    Pavel Obreja: ”Mostly I like to show through sculpture how the shadow plays within the volume. This is what I like the most in a sculpture. When we watch a painting for instance, we are only seeing it from an angle. A sculpture makes us move around and see how the shadows play.”

    Sculptor Pavel Obreja is making a description of his artistic education:

    Pavel Obreja: ”I started to do modeling as early as the college, I graduated from the Chisinau-based „Alexandru Plămădeală” college. After that I got a degree from the Academy of Music and Fine Arts also in Chișinău, then the PhD in sculpture. I am very much into modeling portraits, you know, because in this way I can see, how the biggest sculptor, who is Mother-Nature is working on a man’s face. The changes that I see on a man’s face over the years are made by Mother-Nature and I try to transpose what nature has created.”

    Pavel Obreja has also talked to us about the technique he employs while creating bronze sculptures:

    Pavel Obreja: ”The technique is very complicated and time-consuming. But I very much like the fact that I am doing everything from scratch by myself, from the beginning to the end of the sculpture. And I put all my knowledge into the process, of course.”

    The sculptor has also shared his opinion about the Ukrainian painter Hanna Kozeletska, his wife.

    Pavel Obreja:” First Hanna Kozeletska is my wife and also my favourite painter. I hope her art is also appreciated by others as she works in a very special manner. And in her works one can easily notice the school of Kharkiv and Kyiv, as she does both easel and monumental painting. And by combining these two styles, some special effects are obtained.”   

    In the end of our discussion, Pavel Obreja has also confessed about the latest work in the exhibition in Bucharest, the central piece we could say: a portrait of the Romanian painter of international repute, Constantin Brâncuși, a portrait entirely worked in bronze. 

    Pavel Obreja:” This portrait has an interesting history, in my opinion. I kicked off this project in Kyiv, while doing my PhD studies, the second PhD. At that time I was seeing what I could call a creation crisis. I started modeling this portrait as I wanted to have one with Brancusi as he was a great sculptor himself, you know. Then I got a couple of orders, so that activity created more activities to say. Then I had to take a break, as I had to deal with some school issues, then war broke out in Ukraine so we had to go. That Brancusi in its first stage, a clay work, remained for a while at the workshop in Kyiv. Then I came back and took it to the Republic of Moldova, where I completed it with fresh powers, so to say. Everything went smoothly with this project and eventually I completed it easily as I saw in it some sort of a sculpture god. I didn’t want to create it like a god or something, but everything with this project went smoothly in that direction, you know… ”

    (bill)

  • March 27, 2024

    March 27, 2024

    Visit – The National Bank supports and encourages initiatives aimed at the development of the capital market in the Republic of Moldova, and as an institution responsible for prudential supervision and the stability of the financial market, we want to facilitate the free movement of capital and financial services, the governor of the National Bank of Moldova, Anca Dragu, said on Wednesday in Bucharest. She emphasized that these are actually chapters of negotiation for Moldova’s accession to the European Union, “chapters in which the National Bank has a leading role, so that the Republic of Moldova should enjoy prosperity and economic stability”. Romania commits and continues to commit unconditionally to supporting the European path of the Republic of Moldova, said, in turn, the speaker of the Romanian Senate, Nicolae Ciucă. They participated, on Wednesday, together with the Moldovan Prime Minister, Dorin Recean, and the head of the Moldovan Parliament, Igor Grosu, in a forum organized by the Stock Exchange, an event that promotes solid economic cooperation and the interconnection of the capital markets between the Republic of Moldova and Romania.

     

    Bessarabia – Romania is among the staunch supporters of the European future of the Republic of Moldova, as its citizens wish, the Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said in a message on the occasion of the Day of Bessarabia’s Union with Romania. The Romanian Cultural Institute – ICR and its representations abroad are organizing a series of cultural events to mark 106 years since this historic moment. Today, at the National Art Museum of Romania, a painting exhibition is opened that includes 100 works by artists from the Republic of Moldova, and the National Theater in Bucharest will host performances in which Romanian and Moldovan actors will participate. On March 27, 1918, the Chisinau State Council voted in favor of the Union of Bessarabia with Romania, Bessarabia being a Romanian province annexed by the Russian Empire in 1812, after the Russian-Turkish war (1806-1812). This historical act opened the process of the unification of Romania, completed on December 1, 1918, through the Union of all the Romanian provinces which were then under foreign rule. 22 years later, in the summer of 1940, following an ultimatum, Stalin’s Moscow annexed both Bessarabia and northern Bukovina, territories that currently belong to the former Soviet Republics of Moldova and Ukraine, respectively.

     

    Brancusi – The Pompidou Center in Paris hosts an exhibition-event dedicated to Constantin Brâncuşi, considered the father of modern sculpture, which can be visited until July 1. Hundreds of sculptures, photographs, sketches and archival images are on display in the exhibition which includes Brâncuşi’s Workshop, the place where the great Romanian artist created and lived, alongside works borrowed from major international museums. All of Constantin Brâncuşi’s works from the Romanian heritage are exhibited, sent by the National Art Museum of Romania and the Art Museum in Craiova (southern Romania). ‘Brâncuşi is an artist who was very little exposed during his life, as he preferred to invite his contemporaries to come to his workshop. He liked to control all dimensions of the presentation of his sculptures’, explains Ariane Coulondre, curator of the exhibition, in a press release. The Brâncusi Retrospective at the Pompidou Center, the first in the last almost 30 years and the largest ever organized event, is held with the support of the Romanian Embassy in France and the Romanian Cultural Institute.

     

    Deficit – Romania’s budget deficit reached, after the first two months of the year, almost 29 billion lei (about 6 billion Euros), accounting for 1.67% of the Gross Domestic Product, show data published by the Finance Ministry. The deficit is almost double compared to the same period of last year. The Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said, however, that it would observe the 5% threshold estimated for the end of the year. The economy is self-financing and we will have the largest economic growth in Europe, the Romanian PM also said.

     

    Handball – CS Dinamo Bucharest defeated the Danish team Bjerringbro Silkeborg, score 37-34, on Tuesday evening, at home, in the first leg of the play-off of the EHF European League men’s handball competition. The second leg will take place on April 2, in Silkeborg. Trained by the Spanidh Xavi Pascual, the Romanian champions start with the first chance in the return leg to qualify for the next stage. Afterwards, the winners of the quarterfinals will play in the Final Four Tournament (semifinals and finals). The German team Fuchse Berlin is the holder of the trophy. (LS)

  • יום לאומי ברנקושי במכון לתרבות רומניה תל אביב

    יום לאומי ברנקושי במכון לתרבות רומניה תל אביב

    מכון התרבות של רומניה בתל אביב ציין את יום זכרו של “קונסטנטין ברנקושי” פסל וצייר דגול, שנולד ברומניה ושחי ומת בצרפת. יום הלאומי המוקדש לברנקושי נחגג ב-19 בפברואר, יום הולדותו של האומן שנולד ב-1876.


    בנוסף לכך, ICR תל אביב מארגנת ב-29 בפברואר ערב הנצחה המוקדש לברנקושי ולהבמאי פאבל קונסטנטינסקו (בן יוסף פאבל), במאי הסרטים התיעודיים “Procesul Păsării” ו”Ovoidul”.


    בתו של הבמאי פאבל קונסטנטינסקו, שרה ויקטוריה דאזין, תשתתף באירוע יחד עם הפסל הישראלי ממוצא רומני, שלמה כץ.

  • יום לאומי ברנקושי במכון לתרבות רומניה תל אביב

    יום לאומי ברנקושי במכון לתרבות רומניה תל אביב

    מכון התרבות של רומניה בתל אביב ציין את יום זכרו של “קונסטנטין ברנקושי” פסל וצייר דגול, שנולד ברומניה ושחי ומת בצרפת. יום הלאומי המוקדש לברנקושי נחגג ב-19 בפברואר, יום הולדותו של האומן שנולד ב-1876.



    בנוסף לכך, ICR תל אביב מארגנת ב-29 בפברואר ערב הנצחה המוקדש לברנקושי ולהבמאי פאבל קונסטנטינסקו (בן יוסף פאבל), במאי הסרטים התיעודיים “Procesul Păsării” ו”Ovoidul”.



    בתו של הבמאי פאבל קונסטנטינסקו, שרה ויקטוריה דאזין, תשתתף באירוע יחד עם הפסל הישראלי ממוצא רומני, שלמה כץ.

  • Desde Rumanía hacia el mundo: Día Nacional de Constantin Brâncuşi

    Desde Rumanía hacia el mundo: Día Nacional de Constantin Brâncuşi

    Nunca doy el primer golpe hasta que la piedra me ha dicho qué hacer con ella. Espero hasta que la imagen interior esté bien formada en mi mente. A veces pasan semanas antes de que la piedra me hable. Tengo que mirar con mucha atención en mi interior. No me fijo en ninguna apariencia. Me distancio lo más posible de las apariencias, confesaba el artista Constantin Brâncuşi, nacido el 19 de febrero de 1876 en Hobita, en el distrito de Gorj, en el sur de Rumanía.


    En 2015, se estableció el 19 de febrero como feriado nacional, el Día Nacional de Constantin Brâncusi. El evento nació como una reparación moral por la falta de reconocimiento, por parte de los representantes del régimen establecido en Rumania después de la segunda conflagración mundial, de las creaciones del escultor como obras que completan el universo cultural en Rumanía y que tienen un papel de especial importancia en el arte universal. En el programa de hoy, os contamos más cosas interesantes sobre la vida y la obra del gran escultor rumano.

  • February 18, 2024 UPDATE

    February 18, 2024 UPDATE

    SPORT Romania’s selections obtained new wins on Sunday at the World Table Tennis Championships in Busan, South Korea. In the women’s Group 7, Romania has scored its third win out of three games, 3-1 against Singapore after those against Sweden and Canada. In their last game in the group, on Monday morning, the Romanians will be playing Serbia. In the male’s competition, in Group 8, after 0-3 with Portugal and 3-0 with Egypt, on Sunday Romania clinched a 3-1 win against Thailand. Our men’s side will be playing Iran on Tuesday. 40 teams from all over the world are playing in the men’s and women’s contests in Busan. The world championships are a qualification criterion for the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, where the first 8 teams are qualified.

    HOMAGE Several people gathered in front of the Russian embassy in Bucharest on Sunday to pay their homage to the deceased Russian dissident, Aleksei Navalnyi. They lit candles and laid flowers in memory of the man who opposed the present regime at the Kremlin. Some of the participants carried placards reading ‘You cannot win free election by killing opposition’. As early as Friday the Romanian politicians have conveyed their messages paying homage to the Russian dissident. According to Russian sources, Navalnyi 47, died in the arctic penitentiary he was detained since December last year. The opposition, the Russian independent press as well as the Western foreign ministries have unanimously accused the Russian president Vladimir Putin for having ordered the death of the man who had been the Kremlin’s number one enemy for 15 years.

    CONFERENCE On the sidelines of the Security Conference in Munich, Romania’s Foreign Minister, Luminita Odobescu, had a meeting with a group of veterans from the Russian-Ukrainian front. On this occasion, the minister has conveyed a firm message of solidarity with the neighboring Ukraine and its people, ‘in their legitimate fight to defend the independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of their country in the illegal aggression war Russia is waging on Ukraine. According to a press communiqué the Romanian Foreign Ministry released on Sunday, minister Odobescu had earlier participated in the second day of the Conference in Germany in an event devoted to the situation of Afghan women and had talks with her counterparts and with representatives of the international think-tanks.

    POLO Polls drawn on Saturday have placed Romania’s national water polo side in group A together with Croatia, Italy, Greece, the United States and Montenegro at the Olympic Games in Paris. The International water polo federation had earlier announced Romania’s unexpected qualification, as our athletes ended on the tenth position at the World Championship in Doha, Qatar. Only the first eight sides are qualified but South Africa had declared forfeit for Paris. So, Romania, the best placed side among those unqualified, has thus ensured their tickets for Paris. Water polo is the only team sport with Romanian participation in the aforementioned Olympics. Romania ranked 8th at the European Championships in Croatia a month ago.

    SCULPTURE A sculpture by Romania’s greatest sculptor Constantin Brancusi, which was believed, lost or destroyed until last year, has been put on display at the Artmark Galleries in Bucharest. The sculpture known as ‘Bust of a Restaurant Patron’ is actually depicting a waiter in the Parisian café where the artist worked as dishwasher shortly after his arrival in Paris. The sculpture was made around 1905-1906 and has been recently bought at an international auction in Paris by a Romanian collector.

  • February 18, 2024

    February 18, 2024

    TALKS Leaders of the ruling Social Democratic and the National Liberal Parties are today resuming talks on the possible merger of the elections due in Romania this year. Unless they reach an agreement, the elections are to be staged on the date previously set – Social-Democratic Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu has announced. The Liberals insist though that the election for the European Parliament take place together with those for the local public administration on June 9th. Among their arguments are the funds cuts and a higher turnout. The Social Democrats are calling for a clear timetable for the entire election year and for merging the election for the domestic Legislature with the second round of the presidential voting. The opposition says that talks for the merger do nothing but divert the attention of the Romanians from the real problems the ruling coalition is presently facing.

    CONFERENCE On the sidelines of the Security Conference in Munich, Romania’s Foreign Minister, Luminita Odobescu, had a meeting with a group of veterans from the Russian-Ukrainian front. On this occasion, the minister has conveyed a firm message of solidarity with the neighboring Ukraine and its people, ‘in their legitimate fight to defend the independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of their country in the illegal aggression war Russia is waging on Ukraine. According to a press communiqué the Romanian Foreign Ministry released on Sunday, minister Odobescu had earlier participated in the second day of the Conference in Germany in an event devoted to the situation of Afghan women and had talks with her counterparts and with representatives of the international think-tanks.

    POLO Polls drawn on Saturday have placed Romania’s national water polo side in group A together with Croatia, Italy, Greece, the United States and Montenegro at the Olympic Games in Paris. The International water polo federation had earlier announced Romania’s unexpected qualification, as our athletes ended on the tenth position at the World Championship in Doha, Qatar. Only the first eight sides are qualified but South Africa had declared forfeit for Paris. So, Romania, the best placed side among those unqualified, has thus ensured their tickets for Paris. Water polo is the only team sport with Romanian participation in the aforementioned Olympics. Romania ranked 8th at the European Championships in Croatia a month ago.

    SCULPTURE A sculpture by Romania’s greatest sculptor Constantin Brancusi, which was believed, lost or destroyed until last year, has been put on display at the Artmark Galleries in Bucharest. The sculpture known as ‘Bust of a Restaurant Patron’ is actually depicting a waiter in the Parisian café where the artist worked as dishwasher shortly after his arrival in Paris. The sculpture was made around 1905-1906 and has been recently bought at an international auction in Paris by a Romanian collector.

  • Târgu Jiu

    Târgu Jiu

    Târgu
    Jiu,
    municipiul de reşedinţă al judeţului
    Gorj, este un reper al multor circuite turistice culturale deoarece aici se
    află operele în aer liber ale lui Constantin Brâncuşi
    (1876-1957), sculptorul român
    cu o mare influenţă
    asupra artei moderne.

    Operele monumentale ale lui Brâncuşi de la Târgu Jiu au fost realizate în
    memoria celor care au căzut
    în
    luptele pentru apărarea
    oraşului,
    în perioada primului război
    mondial. Brâncuşi,
    care se stabilise la Paris, a revenit în ţară în anul
    1937, la solicitarea Ligii Naţionale a Femeilor din Gorj şi, în
    interval de un an, a realizat mai multe lucrări în aer liber, amplasate pe un drum,
    numit astăzi Calea Eroilor. Pe acest drum, denumit
    şi Axa Brâncuşi, se află podul unde, la 14
    octombrie 1916, au fost lupte grele, populaţia oraşului reuşind să oprească trupele germane care
    încercau să avanseze spre sud.

    Lângă pod, pe malul Jiului, este Grădina Publică
    unde se află operele
    cioplite în piatră ale lui Brâncuşi. Chiar la intrare este Poarta Sărutului,
    o operă realizată din piatră poroasă, cu o înălţime de peste 5 metri. Pe cele
    două coloane poate fi văzut simbolul sărutului, două jumătăţi ale unui cerc, un
    simbol caracteristic sculptorului Constantin Brâncuşi.

    În continuare, mergând pe
    aleea din spatele Porţii
    Sărutului,
    spre malul Jiului, pot fi observate, de o parte şi de alta, 30 de scaune pătrate
    din piatră, în formă de
    clepsidră. La
    capătul aleii se află o altă
    operă brâncuşiană -
    Masa Tăcerii – înconjurată
    de douăsprezece
    scaune rotunde din piatră,
    tot în formă de
    clepsidră.


    La celălalt capăt al Axei Brâncuşi, la o distanţă de circa 1,2 km, se
    află Coloana Infinitului. Amplasată într-un parc, în jurul căruia sunt
    clădiri nu foarte înalte, opera brâncuşiană poate fi văzută de la mare
    distanţă. Coloana Infinitului are o înălţime de
    29 de metri şi este alcătuită din
    module din bronz, în
    formă de
    clepsidră, fixate
    pe un ax metalic. Odată cu lăsarea serii, Coloana este pusă în evidenţă de
    lumina reflectoarelor, la fel ca şi
    celelalte opere brâncuşiene de la Târgu Jiu. Atunci când a început să lucreze la operele în
    aer liber de la Târgu Jiu, Constantin Brâncuşi avea 61 de ani şi era un artist binecunoscut
    la nivel mondial. Operele lui Constantin Brâncuşi au fost inaugurate la 27
    octombrie 1938, în cadrul unei festivităţi în care a fost oficiat şi un Tedeum
    pentru pomenirea eroilor căzuţi în primul război mondial.


    Cu doi ani mai devreme, în piaţa istorică a oraşului Târgu Jiu fusese
    inaugurat un alt monument, al sublocotenentului Ecaterina Teodoroiu, căzută în
    luptă în vara anului 1917, la Mărăşeşti, pe frontul din Moldova. Amplasat în
    faţa clădirii Prefecturii Gorj şi a Consiliului Judeţean, pe atunci clădirea
    Primăriei Târgu Jiu, Mausoleul-sarcofag Ecaterina Teodoroiu a fost realizat de
    sculptoriţa Miliţa Petraşcu, elevă a lui Constantin Brâncuşi. Mausoleul are
    peste doi metri înălţime, este realizat din travertin, iar pe cele patru laturi
    sunt reprezentate scene din viaţa şi activitatea militară a Ecaterinei
    Teodoroiu, născută la Târgu Jiu, motiv pentru care a fost supranumită eroina
    de la Jiu.


  • January 29, 2024

    January 29, 2024

    PARLIAMENT This week sees the start of this
    year’s first parliamentary session in Romania, marked by a special election
    context in which Romanian citizens are expected to take part in 4 types of
    elections-for the European Parliament, for the national parliament, as well as
    presidential and local elections. The Senate’s agenda includes, among others,
    emergency orders concerning the farmers and carriers who have been protesting
    across the country. The Chamber of Deputies has a number of bills pending
    endorsement, including legislation concerning drug trafficking and gambling. This
    weekend the justice minister Alina Gorghiu said 3 bills have been submitted to
    Parliament, which are aimed at curbing drug trafficking. They concern the
    set-up of a national drug trafficking register and of regional rehab centres, while
    the so-called 2 Mai Bill eliminates suspended sentences for drug trafficking
    and increases penalties to up to 10 years in prison. Other bills pending
    approval introduce 10-year driving bans for DUI, and healthcare and
    psychological assistance for people found in possession of illegal drugs.


    ECONOMY An International
    Monetary Fund mission headed by Jan Kees Martijn arrives
    in Bucharest today to review the latest economic and financial developments.
    This is a regular consultation based on Romania’s relation with the IMF, and it
    comes 4 months after the previous visit. The IMF expects a budget deficit of 6%
    of GDP and an economic growth rate of 2.3% this year. IMF experts also
    recommend a number of additional reforms, and in the previous assessment visit
    they mentioned the scrapping of the remaining exemptions, privileges and
    loopholes, a more efficient VAT implementation, a reformed property tax system,
    and the use of fiscal policies in order to promote efficient energy and the
    clean energy transition. Romania has no ongoing agreements with the IMF at
    present.


    BRANCUSI Some 100 works were included in the largest
    exhibition in 50 years in Romania devoted to the sculptor Constantin Brâncuși.
    Opened in late September in western Romania as part the Timişoara – European
    Capital of Culture, the exhibition came to an end on Sunday night. Sculptures,
    photographs, arhive documents and footage were on display in Timişoara’s National
    Art Museum. To mark the end of the exhibition, the National Bank of Romania
    launched a commemorative silver coin honouring the sculptor Constantin Brâncuşi.


    PROTESTS The French farmers’ protests have
    reached a new stage today, with major roadways into Paris and other large
    cities to be blocked indefinitely as of today. The main trade union in the sector threatened
    large-scale operations, including a complete obstruction of food supply flows
    to the capital city’s supermarkets, so that the locals may feel the effects of
    the protests. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent in Paris, the plan
    includes the use of tractors to shut down motorways and slow down traffic. Similar
    steps are also planned for France’s second-largest city, Lyon. Farmers protest the
    inadequate payments for their produce, the red tape and the competition coming
    from cheap imports. In a move to address the situation, PM Gabriel Attal admitted
    that a first set of measures, announced on Friday, was insufficient and
    promised new decisions to increase farmer revenues would be made this week.


    MIDDLE EAST Iran denies involvement in
    Sunday’s drone attack on a US military base in north-eastern Jordan, near the
    Syrian and Iraqi borders, in which 3 US troops were killed. The Islamic
    resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility for the attack, and the US president
    Joe Biden said these are groups known to be supported by Iran. Biden warned
    that the US would respond to the attack. These are the first US troops killed
    in the Middle East since the start of the war in Gaza, prompting fears of an
    extended conflict in the region. Meanwhile, Paris hosted a meeting of officials
    from the US, Egypt, Qatar and Israel, aimed at brokering a new ceasefire in Gaza
    and the release of the hostages taken by Hamas. Negotiations will continue this
    week. Violence continues in Gaza, and locals say Israeli air raids and shelling
    have increased in recent days in the region’s north and centre. According to
    the Israeli Army, its troops are involved in heavy fighting in the south, in Khan
    Younis, where they have taken out a number of terrorists. The humanitarian
    crisis is worsening, and UN calls on nations to resume their donations. (AMP)

  • Fin de l’exposition Brancusi de Timisoara

    Fin de l’exposition Brancusi de Timisoara

    Tombée de rideau, dimanche soir, sur l’événement phare du
    programme « Timișoara – Capitale européenne de la culture », l’exposition
    intitulée « Brancusi : sources roumaines et perspectives universelles »,
    au Musée des Beaux-Arts, consacrée au grand sculpteur roumain Constantin Brancusi.


    Quatre mois durant, de septembre 2023 à janvier 2024, l’exposition
    a accueilli un nombre record de visiteurs – plus de 130 000, soit le double par
    rapport aux estimations initaile. Parmi les chefs-d’œuvre du grand artiste qui pouvaient
    être admirés l’on a retrouvé : « Maïastra » (L’oiseau-lyre), « L’oiseau
    dans l’espace », « Le Baiser », « Mademoiselle Pogany »,
    « Tête d’enfant », « Prière » ou encore « La muse
    endormie ». Certaines œuvres ont été empruntées à de prestigieux musées ou
    galeries d’art telles le Centre Pompidou de Paris ou la Tate Gallery de
    Londres. Outre les sculptures, des photographies, des documents d’archives et
    des vidéos ont également été présentés.




    Aux dires du commissaire de exposition, Ovidiu Şandor, l’événement
    s’est avéré être un phénomène qui lui donne l’espoir de voir un changement au
    sein de la société grâce à la la culture :



    « Je pense que l’exposition a touché
    beaucoup de visiteurs aussi à travers la manière dont Doina Lemny a choisi les
    œuvres, le dialogue entre sculpture, photographie et dessin, mais aussi par la
    scénographie réalisée par Attila Kim, innovante par rapport à la manière dont
    Brancusi avait été présenté jusqu’ici dans d’autres expositions. »


    Selon la
    commissaire d’exposition Doina Lemny, l’exposition n’était pas une
    rétrospective de la création de Brancusi mais une preuve de la connexion
    permanente du sculpteur avec son pays natal, même s’il était déjà devenu
    célèbre en France.




    La vie
    de Brancusi




    Rappelons brièvement que Constantin Brancusi est né le 19
    février 1876, dans le village de Hobita (sud). Il a fait ses études Bucarest. En
    1905, il s’est rendu à Paris, où il y est entré en contact avec l’avant-garde
    artistique. Son activité créatrice a atteint l’apogée entre 1914 et 1940. Le
    Musée d’Art Moderne Georges Pompidou de Paris conserve un nombre important d’œuvres
    de Brancusi léguées par testament à la Roumanie, mais acceptées par la France
    aux côtés de tout ce qui se trouvait dans l’atelier de l’artiste, rue
    Montparnasse, sur toile de fond du refus, dans les années 50, du gouvernement
    communiste de Bucarest de recevoir les créations de Brancusi après sa mort.


    Il est décédé le 16 mars 1957 et a été inhumé dans la
    capitale française. Dans la Roumanie du réalisme socialiste, Constantin Brancusi
    a été contesté et accusé d’être un représentant du formalisme bourgeois
    cosmopolite. Ce n’est que dans les années 60 que le sculpteur a été « redécouvert » en
    tant qu’un génie national, dans son pays natal.


    Ayant une valeur assurée d’un demi-milliard d’euros, et une
    valeur sentimentale inestimable, les œuvres exposées ces quatre derniers mois à
    Timișoara, constituent l’exposition la plus importante qui lui a été consacrée
    en Roumanie pendant ces 50 dernières années. Pilier de la culture roumaine,
    Constantin Brancusi est également l’un des plus grands sculpteurs du monde du
    XXe siècle.

  • Le courrier des auditeurs du 10.11.2023

    Le courrier des auditeurs du 10.11.2023

    Madame, Monsieur, bonjour ou bonsoir
    où que vous soyez. Je suis ravie de revenir au micro du courrier pour répondre
    à vos lettres et à vos messages. Mais d’abord, permettez-moi de remercier
    encore une fois tous ceux d’entre vous ayant participé à la Journée de
    l’auditeur. Vos réponses ont été très intéressantes, vos témoignages ont
    contribué à avoir une image encore plus pertinente de ce qui se passe
    actuellement avec notre planète. Nous vivons une époque compliquée, cela est
    sûr et certain, et je pense que nous n’avons plus la possibilité de rester les
    bras croisés en attendant que les choses s’améliorent d’elles-mêmes. Mais
    puisque le courrier se veut avant tout, une occasion de passer un moment
    agréable en compagnie de RRI, sachez que j’ai une surprise pour vous. Oui, oui,
    vous avez bien entendu. La semaine dernière, un auditeur de RRI est passé nous
    voir à la radio. Qui est-il ? La réponse dans quelques instants. Hé bien, il y a une semaine, notre
    ami français Jean-Marc Olry est passé nous voir à la radio. Venu en Roumanie
    pour visiter l’exposition de Timisoara consacrée à Brancusi, il a passé
    quelques jours sur Bucarest aussi. Bien évidemment, j’en ai profité pour
    l’inviter au micro.

    L’entretien que vous venez d’écouter
    a eu lieu au tout début du séjour de Jean-Marc Olry à Bucarest. Mais comme je
    l’ai eu par message avant qu’il ne rentre en France, je peux vous dire qu’il a
    bien profité de la capitale roumaine, qu’il a parcouru 30 kilomètres en deux
    jours dont un sous la pluie et qu’il a visité, entre autres, le Musée du
    village, le Musée d’Histoire, l’Exposition Picasso et le centre historique.
    J’espère que cet entretien donne envie à d’autres d’entre vous à prévoir des
    vacances en Roumanie.




    Dirigeons-nous
    en Algérie pour passer le bonjour de nous tous à notre ami Farid Boumechaal.
    Comment allez-vous ? Merci bien pour vos rapports d’écoute. Notre auditeur
    algérien a suivi le dossier Actualité qui lui a permis d’apprendre davantage
    sur la région de la Mer Noire, sur le dossier ukrainien, la situation de
    sécurité aux frontières et le développement durable. Merci à vous et bonne
    continuation sur nos ondes !


    Dernière réponse en cette semaine. Et je dis bonjour ou bonsoir
    à notre auditeur Guy Le Louet de France. Comment ça va ? Je sais que
    le Finistère a été fortement touché dernièrement par de tempêtes qui ont fait
    des dégâts. Est-ce que vous avez été épargné ? En attendant votre réponse,
    merci pour le rapport d’écoute. Nous sommes contents de vous savoir à l’écoute
    de nos infos, de nos chroniques telles « L’avenir commence
    maintenant » ou « Visitez la Roumanie » et bien évidemment, du
    Courrier des auditeurs.


    Madame, Monsieur, c’est tout pour aujourd’hui. En attendant que
    je revienne au micro du courrier, d’ici un mois, prenez soin de vous et restez
    à l’écoute de RRI !





  • Expoziţie-eveniment Brâncuşi la Timişoara

    Expoziţie-eveniment Brâncuşi la Timişoara

    Expoziția Brâncuși: surse românești și perspective universale”, găzduită de Muzeul Național de Artă Timișoara, își propune să ilustreze particularitatea artistului care a reușit să creeze forme pure, eliberate de orice influență. Prin dialogul pe care-l instaurează cu materia care-i permite să extragă esența ființelor și a obiectelor, Brâncuși traversează toate frontierele geografice, istorice, formale, de gen, ceea ce-i asigură un loc aparte, neatașându-l niciunui curent artistic.



    Expoziția, organizată de Fundația Art Encounters, Muzeul Național de Artă Timișoara şi Institutul Francez din România, este deschisă în perioada 30 septembrie 2023 — 28 ianuarie 2024, de miercuri până duminică, între orele 10:00 și 20:00. Lunea și marțea, precum și în perioadele 24-26 decembrie 2023, pe 31 decembrie 2023 și 1-2 ianuarie 2024 va fi închisă.



    Curatoriată de Doina Lemny, expoziția aduce în atenția publicului diferite etape ale parcursului artistic al lui Brâncuși: de la operele create sub influența învățământului de la Școala de Arte Frumoase din București la confruntarea cu sculptura lui Rodin și până la decizia sa radicală de a abandona modelajul pentru a adopta metoda șlefuirii directe — ceea ce marchează întoarcerea sa simbolică către artele primitive și îi deschide, în același timp, calea spre modernitate. În dialog cu sculpturile va fi expusă și o foarte interesantă și inedită selecție de fotografii și fragmente filmate de artist.



    Expoziția beneficiază de împrumuturi excepționale de la Muzeul Național de Artă Modernă Centre Pompidou din Paris, Tate Museum din Londra, Fundația Guggenheim din Veneţia, Muzeul Național de Artă din București și Muzeul de Artă din Craiova, precum și din colecții particulare.



    Proiectul face parte din Programul național “Timișoara — Capitală Europeană a Culturii în 2023” și este finanțat de Consiliul Județean Timiș. L-am întrebat pe preşedintele Consiliului, Alin Nica, despre importanţa expoziţiei Brâncuşi de la Timişoara.






    Am stat de vorbă despre expoziţie cu preşedintele Fundaţiei Art Encounters, Ovidiu Şandor, comisar al expoziţiei.






    Expoziția Brâncuşi este pusă în scenă de arhitectul Attila Kim, cu care am discutat la Timişoara.






    La deschiderea expoziţiei Brâncuşi a fost prezentă şi doamna Sena Latif, Prim Colaborator la Ambasada României la Paris.






    Încheiem seria de interviuri cu directorul Muzeului Naţional de Artă Timişoara, Filip Petcu.




  • La première exposition d’envergure dédiée à Constantin Brancusi en Roumanie

    La première exposition d’envergure dédiée à Constantin Brancusi en Roumanie

    En cette fin d’année 2023 et jusqu’au début de 2024,
    l’exposition-événement la plus importante consacrée à Constantin Brancusi en
    Roumanie et en Europe de l’Est au cours des 50 dernières années est ouverte à
    Timișoara (dans l’ouest de la Roumanie). Intitulée « Brancusi :
    sources roumaines et perspectives universelles », elle est le moment phare
    du programme « Timișoara – Capitale européenne de la Culture 2023 ».


    Constantin Brancuși (1876-1957) était un sculpteur
    roumain dont la contribution au renouvellement du langage et de la vision
    plastique de la sculpture contemporaine universelle a été considérable. Il est
    symboliquement considéré comme « le père de la sculpture moderne ».
    Brancusi fait ses débuts en tant qu’artiste en Roumanie, puis à partir de 1903,
    il poursuit sa carrière à Paris, ses œuvres de maturité – les plus valeureuses
    d’ailleurs – étant réalisées en France.


    Début septembre, à Bucarest, le siège de la Banque
    Nationale de Roumanie, a accueilli une conférence de presse durant laquelle les
    organisateurs de l’exposition-événement de Timişoara ont présenté tous les
    détails de cet événement unique en Roumanie. Ovidiu Șandor, le président de la
    Fondation Art Encounters et commissaire de l’exposition dédiée à Brancusi, explique
    ce que cet événement représente pour le grand public roumain :


    « Cette
    exposition est importante pour plusieurs raisons. C’est la première exposition
    dédiée à Brancusi en Roumanie ces 50 dernières années. A mon avis, ce retour de
    Brancusi dans son pays d’origine est important, y compris dans le contexte de
    ce qui se passe autour de nous. Dans des moments compliqués, tels ceux que nous
    sommes en train de traverser, il est important revenir de aux points de
    référence des Roumains, tels que Brancusi. C’est une exposition qui se tient
    une fois par génération. C’est une occasion pour le public d’admirer tant les
    œuvres que Brancusi a réalisées durant sa jeunesse, que ses créations de
    maturité, qui l’ont rendu célèbre. C’est une présentation spéciale, conçue par
    Doina Lemny, qui témoigne de toutes les influences roumaines que Brancusi
    utilise à Paris, mais aussi du processus de transformation et de perfectionnement
    grâce auquel les œuvres de Brancusi ont acquis une importance universelle. »


    Mais quelles sont justement les chefs-d’œuvre que cette
    exposition a réunis à Timisoara ? Ovidiu Șandor explique :


    « …Même
    si nous tous, nous croyons connaître Brancusi, parfois il est important de
    regarder ses œuvres sur place. Il est important de s’immerger dans l’univers de
    Brancusi, que l’exposition ouvre grâce la centaine d’œuvres qui témoignent de
    ses préoccupations diverses : la sculpture, la photographie, le dessin.
    Ces préoccupations sont présentées tant en relation avec la Roumanie et avec ce
    que lie Brancusi à son pays natal, qu’avec la place de Brancusi dans l’art
    universel. (…) Nous avons fait venir une collection importante de plus de 20
    sculptures. Il s’agit, d’un côté, de plusieurs sculptures iconiques de
    Brancusi, tels « Maïastra », « Oiseau en vol »,
    « Mademoiselle Pogany », « Le Baiser ». Mais il y a aussi
    des sculptures moins connues, tels « Borne-frontière », réalisée par
    Brancusi en 1945, lorsque la Roumanie avait perdu la Bessarabie. Par ailleurs,
    il y a aussi des parties moins connues de sa création, comme par exemple la
    photographie et le dessin, qui est une composante importante de l’art de tout
    sculpteur. Plus encore, il y a aussi des documents qui témoignent de la
    modalité dont il est resté en context avec des personnes de son pays d’origine.
    Par ailleurs, il y a aussi un film, réalisé par Brancusi lui-même, mais aussi
    d’autres films réalisés par des artistes importants, dans lesquels Brancusi apparait
    en personne. Par conséquent nous avons à faire à une présentation et pas forcément
    à une rétrospective. C’est une exposition qui présente, d’une manière
    synthétique, la complexité de ses œuvres et les préoccupations diverses qu’il a
    eues en tant qu’artiste, le tout illustrant aussi l’homme qui était Constantin
    Brancusi. A part l’exposition, nous préparons aussi un catalogue, une
    publication sérieuse, coordonnée aussi par Doina Lemny, qui inclut 16
    contributions nouvelles concernant Brancusi. Il est également important de
    préciser qu’il s’agit de la première exposition sur Brancusi qui place l’artiste
    dans le contexte roumain. »


    Doina Lemny est la commissaire
    de l’exposition et un des experts internationaux de l’art de Brancusi les plus
    importants. Elle a déclaré que :


    « Comme
    je le dis à chaque fois, c’est un retour symbolique de Brancusi dans son pays
    natal, pays qu’il n’a jamais quitté dans son esprit. Brancusi a toujours été
    lié à son pays, mais il s’est développé en France. Si on essaye de le juger, en
    se demandant pourquoi il a légué l’atelier à la France, c’est parce que c’était
    l’endroit où, 50 ans durant, il a crée tous ses chefs-d’œuvre. Mais il a été
    toujours conscient que ses œuvres de début étaient en Roumanie, c’est-à-dire celles
    se trouvant actuellement au Musée de Craiova ou au Musée National d’Art de
    Bucarest. »


    Doina Lemny nous dit aussi d’où
    proviennent les œuvres de l’exposition « Brancusi : sources
    roumaines et perspectives universelles » que l’on peut voir ces mois-ci à
    Timisoara :


    « Nous
    nous sommes limités à deux musées et à la Fondation de Vénice. Nous avons été
    limités par l’espace de Musée de Timisoara, qui n’est pas très généreux. Il y a
    seulement 11 salles d’exposition, ce qui est peu, et on ne peut pas y entasser
    les sculptures, on ne peut pas les empiler pour les présenter toutes en même
    temps, car on ne les voit plus, elles s’entretuent. Nous avons donc fait appel
    à la générosité de deux grands musées, la Gallérie Tate, qui nous a prêté trois
    des quatre œuvres dont elle dispose – et il faut saluer ce geste – et le Centre
    Pompidou, qui possède, grâce à l’Atelier Brancusi, la plus grande collection d’œuvres
    de Brancusi au monde. Nous n’avons pas fait appel aux musées américains pour
    des raisons d’espace, comme je l’ai déjà dit, et évidemment pour des raisons de
    coût. »


    Mais que signifié l’artiste
    Brancusi pour Doina Lemny, un des spécialistes dans l’art de Brancusi les plus
    importants au monde :




    « Brancusi
    est un homme qu’il faut interroger constamment, car il garde toujours son
    mystère. Plus j’avance, plus je me pose des questions supplémentaires sur cet
    homme qui savait analyser et puis reproduire chaque instant de la vie. Il
    reproduisait des formes, mais pas l’être. Il reproduisait une idée, et non pas
    un personnage. Pour moi, Brancusi reste un mystère et peut-être que je n’ai jamais
    réussi à pénétrer pleinement son mystère. Portant, il a lui-même dit : « Ne
    posez pas de questions aux créateurs et il ne faut pas que l’on révèle ou que
    l’on lève complètement le voile ». »



    L’exposition
    « Brancusi : sources roumaines et perspectives universelles » est
    ouverte du 30 septembre 2023 au 28 janvier 2024, de 10h à 20h. Les informations
    détaillées relatives au programme de visite, à l’achat des billets, aux visites
    guidées et aux visites scolaires sont disponibles sur le site dédié à
    l’exposition :https://brancusi-2023.info/.
    Les organisateurs de l’événement invitent tous ceux qui souhaitent la visiter à
    acheter leurs billets d’avance, en fonction des jours et des plages horaires
    disponibles. Rappelons-le avant de terminer, cette exposition est le moment
    phare du programme Timisoara, Capitale Européenne de la Culture 2023 et aussi
    un de ses temps forts francophones. (Trad. Andra Juganaru)

  • September 30, 2023 UPDATE

    September 30, 2023 UPDATE

    SEARCH The search
    operations of any possible drone debris the Romanian authorities kicked off in the
    outskirts of the city of Galati, in south-eastern Romania ended on Saturday.
    The operations commenced after a citizen had called the 112 emergency service
    to report a strong explosion in the area but the teams have found no debris
    fallen from the sky. We recall that last night the locals received a series of Ro-alert
    messages about the fall of dangerous objects from the sky and were advised to
    take cover. On Friday night the Defence Ministry alerted the Air Policing
    Service after having detected a group of drones flying towards the Ukrainian
    territory close to the Romanian border and notified the General Inspectorate
    for Emergency Situations over instating the alert measures for the population
    in the counties of Tulcea and Galati. According to the Defence Ministry on the
    night of September 29th the Russian forces launched a new series of strikes
    against targets in Ukraine. The same sources say that the army radars detected
    a possible breach of the national airspace. No objects fallen from the sky have
    been identified yet. The ministry has been informing the allied structures on
    situations like these, keeping a permanent contact with them.




    ART Almost 100
    works of art by Romania’s famous sculptor Constantin Brancusi are on display as
    of Saturday in Timisoara, western Romania, in the most important exhibition
    dedicated to this major artist in the past half a century. The exhibition
    includes sculptures, photos, archive documents and film footages on display at
    the local National Art Museum until late January. The exhibits’ total insured
    value stays around half a billion euros. Under the suggestive title, Brancusi,
    Romanian sources and universal prospects the exhibition invites the public to
    explore the way in which Brancusi managed to cross all geographic, historical,
    formal and gender borders in order to ensure that special place unattached to
    any artistic current. The exhibition has on view a series of artefacts borrowed
    from the National Museum of Modern Art, Pompidou Center, in Paris, the Tate
    Gallery in London, the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Art Museum in
    Bucharest, the Art Museum in Craiova and some private collections. Among the famous
    artefacts visitors can admire in Timisoara, there is the Bird in Space, the
    Kiss, Mademoiselle Pogany or Sleeping Muse. The aforementioned exhibition is
    part of the programme Timisoara – European Capital of Culture.




    WEATHER The
    weather is incredibly warm for this time of the year especially in the
    country’s southern and southeastern regions. In the rest of the territory the
    weather is going to get cooler though with temperatures within the average range
    registered in early October. The highs of the day in the next 24 hours will stay
    between 19 and 30 degrees with a noon reading in Bucharest of 30 degrees
    centigrade.

    FAIR Romania participates in the 28th
    edition of the International Book Fair in Budapest, Hungary, an event due to
    end on Sunday. On this occasion the Culture Ministry in Bucharest has prepared
    a series of events to be attended by Romanian writers Alina Nelega, Mihai Radu,
    Florin Irimia and Horia Garbea as well as translators Andras Orsolya, Szocs
    Imre, Szonda Szabolcs and Lajos Nagy. Saturday saw the launch of As if nothing happened, by Alina Nelega, a
    double UNITER award recipient and the winner of the ‘European Author’ award at
    the Heidelberger Stuckemarkt Festival. The aforementioned participation in this
    edition of the Book Fair in Budapest has been made jointly with the Romanian
    Cultural Institute in Budapest.

    (bill)