Poland/Romania/Armenia Since 1900
by Milton Sonn
Polish art is varied and rich. Historians differ as to the periodization of the various stages through which Poland passed. It should be emphasized that Poland did experience, as did other European countries, the distinct eras of Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo, Impressionism and Modern art and architecture.
Nineteenth century painting, the age of the representative artist in Polish art, endures as a testament to the vitality of Polish culture reflecting every facet of Polish life. While the architecture of the early periods was influenced by Western concepts, painting developed from the religious "board painting" of the thirteenth century and evolved to the nineteenth century masters who were highly individualistic and secular in their outlook.
During the 20th century a great deal of activity took place in the arts and continued until World War II. In approximately 1948, the style of Socialist Realism was introduced through Soviet influence, especially in the realm of architecture. Since 1955, however, a renaissance of art has taken place and the Polish poster art form has come to be recognized as one of the greatest of its type in the world.
Romania Art History
"After seeing the range and intensity of the murals at the monasteries of Moldovita, Humor, Voronet, Andre Grabar, the great Byzantine intellectual, called this creative trend “an illustrated book open on all its pages”. Maintaining the links with the Byzantine collection, the Modern Age civilization shows a rising trend to follow the European art which has impressions of the Renaissance, Romanticist, or Impressionistic movements.
Nicolae Grigorescu, Ion Andreescu, and Stefan Lucian who added factors similar to Art Nouveau and Impressionism, are the originators of contemporary Romanian work of art. In the first fifty years of the 20th century, many great individuals followed them and set in many new prospects in the field of Romanian painting.
Many new artists like Henri Catargi, Alexandru Ciucurencu, and Ion Tuculescu appeared before the Second World War, and in spite of all difficulties of the autocratic age after the war, continued their work to improve the gist of the national artistic legacy. Constantin Brancusi has initiated the art of Romanian sculpture. Brancusi invigorated the abstract form of ancient art, and Dimitrie Paciurea worked for those symbolic and incredible legendry images that have utility in the ancient emblematical repertories and still are relevant. With the coming of Gheorghe D. Anghel, the twentieth century sculpture art of Romania reclaimed the clarity and intensity of the Byzantine art.
In the field of painting, new artists like Octav Grigorescu, Georgeta Naparus, Ion Pacea, and Petru, etc, came forward in the last years of the century. Their creativity was related to the ideals of our traditions. The guidelines refurbished in postwar carvings particularly in the 1960s are founded on the path made by Brancusi between folk art and today’s artificial thinking. In the 70s, sculpture camps started which were like real open-air museums."
