February 19 marks Brâncuși Day, a Romanian national holiday in the honor of
Constantin Brâncuși, one of the most influential sculptors of the
20th-century and a pioneer of modernism, also called ”the patriarch of modern
sculpture”.
Born in Romania in 1876, Constantin Brâncuși lived and worked in
Paris from 1904 until his death in 1957, and this is where he produced most of
his work. He began working as a studio assistant to Auguste Rodin in 1907, but
left after only a month, explaining, "Nothing grows under the shadow of big
trees." Beginning with his pieces The Prayer, Sleeping Muse, and
The Kiss, he went on to create many sculptures and other forms of
artwork.
An exact reconstruction of his studio in Paris was made in 1997 on the square
opposite the Centre Pompidou to house his collection, consisting of 137
sculptures, 87 bases, 41 drawings, two paintings, and over 1 600 glass
photographic plates and original prints. Brancusi's Studio can be visited for
free.
The monumental assembly from Targu-Jiu is considered, by many specialists, to
be the masterpiece of Brâncuși. The assembly contains three elements
disposed on the same axis, oriented from west to east, with a length of 1275
meters. The Silence Table, The Kiss Gate, and
The Infinite Column represent life, love, and immortality.
The Infinite Column is 29.33 meters high, build-out of 17
rhombus-shaped modules, made out of cast iron. The assembly was inaugurated on
the 27th of October 1938.
Brâncuși was inspired by Romanian folk myths, tales, and archaic symbols,
as well as African art. Brâncuși was especially well-known for his
use of clean lines and symbolism and is now considered a major influence of
modernism. His art influenced modern sculptors, from Barbara
Hepworth, Henry Moore, and Isamu Noguchi to Carl Andre, Donald Judd, and Dan
Flavin.
In 2022, the Romanian Cultural Institute is celebrating 146 years
from Brâncuși's birth, by organizing various events. Among these, we can
mention:
- France: "Brâncuşi à l’œuvre – composers in Brâncuși's studio"
Concert
- Portugal: A conference on the strong relationship between
Constantin Brâncuși and the younger Portuguese painter Amedeo de
Sousa Cardoso.
- Hungary: Representative image projections on building facades
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