The Merry Cemetery

The Merry Cemetery of Săpânţa(Maramures) has been, for more than fifty years, the creation of sculptor Ion Stan Pătraş, the successor of several generations of wood artists that bequeathed their trade from father to son.
In the beginning he sculpted about ten crosses a year. The method of work has been preserved unaltered to this day. The oak wood is cut into beams that are then allowed to dry one or two years. Next they are hewn into 10-cm thick planks, 2.20 m long and 30-40 cm wide, ranged in stacks, and allowed to dry for some months more. Then the sculptor begins his work: first he draws the geometrical motifs and the bas-relief dedicated to the deceased, then he sculpts and paints the cross in blue – a symbol of hope and freedom.
The unusual feature of this cemetery is that it diverges from the prevalent belief, culturally shared within European societies — a belief that views death as something indelibly solemn. Connections with the local Dacian culture have been made, a culture whose philosophical tenets presumably vouched for the immortality of the soul and the belief that death was a moment filled with joy and anticipation for a better life.
The cemetery has its origin in some crosses sculpted by Ion Stan Pătraş, born 1908 – died 1977, his own grave will be seen here, made by himself before dying. In 1935, Ion Stan Pătraş sculpted the first epitaph and since the 1960s, the cemetery was populated with over 800 such crosses, sculpted from oak wood, and it became an open-air museum and a tourist attraction. His work will be continued by one of his learners, by Dumitru Pop, restaurating now old and creating new tombstones.
Romania offers a rich tapestry of tourist attractions and vacation experiences unique in Central-Eastern Europe: medieval towns in Transylvania, the world-famous Painted Monasteries in Bucovina, traditional villages in Maramures, the magnificent architecture of Bucharest, the romantic Danube Delta, fairy-tale castles, the Black Sea resorts, the majestic Carpathian Mountains, spas and much more.Once that you will visite then I’m sure that next year you will come again there 😉

The impossible love

Now few days I admired in Blissbait blog a very great painting:   http://blissbait.wordpress.com/2010/03/08/welcome-its-day-15770-of-an-ah-haing-loons-dance-on-planet-earth/
She remembers me of a very beautiful Romanian legend called:
The Legend of the Sun and the Moon 🙂
Legend of the Sun and the Moon is said that Sun was the brother of Moon. When the sun had age to marry he got off the sky to search for a wife on earth. When he missed, everything was in darkness. But Sun could not find any wife to like. The Sun slowly fell in love with his sister the Moon. When their mother saw their incestuous love she cursed and took a hand on each and gets thrown in different parts of the sky. So the two celestial bodies cannot be seeing each other but never meet.

Marc Lavoine – Reviens mon amour (Come back my love)

A graphic artist

Marcel Chirnoaga (1930 – 2008) was one of the most important contemporary Romanian artists, world-renowned for his original and profound style, although he was mostly a self-taught artist.
Born on August 17th 1930 in Busteni, Romania, in the beginning he regarded drawing and art simply as a past time and small hobby, and actually was a graduate of the Physics and Mathematics Faculty, in 1952. Although his interest seemed to be drawn towards numbers and abstractions, he continued drawing in his spare time, learning as he went, focusing on building and elegant, complicated and instantly recognizable style. A style which would eventually make him one of the most important graphical artists of 20th century Romania.
Practically abandoning a future career in mathematics and the likes, Marcel Chirnoaga became a member of the UAP (Artist’s Union) of Romania in 1953 and presented his first ever personal exhibition just two years later, in 1955, with surprising success for someone who did not have a formal education in the field and used a strikingly original drawing style. For the beginning was just as the rest of his artistic life, for Chirnoaga proffered to focus mainly on drawings and prints, genres that he took farther than everybody else. His choice of subjects – mythological themes, fairytales, legends, animals, fantastic beings, literature – often led to criticism from those who wanted a more “realistic” approach, but Marcel Chirnoaga continued to work this way and enjoyed his success.
After that first solo exhibition he would have several others, in Romania and abroad, personal or group shows, each time being regarded as a deeply original and profound artist. His first show abroad was in 1969 in Stuttgart, Germany, and offered foreign collectors and art lovers to discover the works of an original and strong young draftsman. Over the next decades, his works could be enjoyed in exhibitions mounted in Italy, Germany, USA, France, Belgium, Sweden, China. Several of his works were bought by foreign collectors and museums, and can now be found in private collection and galleries from all over the world. Because of the value of his works, Marcel Chirnoaga also received several national and international prizes and distinctions over time, but for his admirers it seems that he never received quite enough.
The artist passed away, due to an older lung disease, at 77 years old.
He is my favorite graphic artist 😀
I like how he created these beautiful drawings.
He saw world in a different way.
I can say that in an interesting way…I think that it’s better to take a look yourself at these pictures 😉
You will be convinced of his passion.
Enjoy it! 😉 🙂

The ASTRA Traditional Folk Civilisation Museum

The ASTRA Traditional Folk Civilisation Museum, located 4 km far from town, on the Dumbrava Forest, was founded in 1963 as the Popular Technique Museum, is a 96 hectare museum and its exhibition circuit is 10 kilometres long.In this perimeter the visitors can admire traditional houses, original dwellings, household equipments invented by the inhabitants of the village, traditional means of transport, and so on. There is also a 3 hectare modern wood-sculpture exhibition, with works inspired by the life of the village.On winter, visitors can also profit by a (long narrow) boat row, a carriage or sled drive. More than that, the inn inside the museum offers 53 accommodation units, and one can serve a traditional meal at the tavern.
Visitors can come every day, at every hour, and for the night there is a lighting spot system with special effects.Between the 1st January 2009 and the 10th July 2009, The National Complex ASTRA was visited by more than 100000 persons, from the country or from abroad. As usual, the main attraction was the Outdoors Museum from Dumbrava Sibiului (almost 90% of the visitors went there). The events that were most successful to the public were “Noaptea Muzeelor” (The night of the museums), “Ziua Sugarului” (The day of the suckling), “Tarafuri si fanfare” Festival, but also the Resurrection Liturgy. It is hoped that this year, the museum will be visited by 200000 people.
The Traditional Folk Civilisation Museum from Sibiu I visited it at least 5 times until now and I would like to visit it again. The nature is magnifique and the houses are very interesting and original too. Enjoy it 🙂

Traditionally romanian food for Christmas

Bon appetit! 🙂