Studia Universitatis Babeș-Bolyai Historia Artium

Jérémie Koering, Les Iconophages. Une histoire de l’ingestion des images, Arles: Actes Sud, collection Les Apparences, 2021, 348 p.

Dominic-Alain BOARIU — Sat, 30 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Certain somewhat miscreant Boeotians will be quick to declare anathema: how could we not cast into some circle – of some hell, of some library, somewhere between the iconophiles and the iconodules – the iconophages, so much their relationship with images defies comprehension. Drinking water spilt on a stele, licking a statuette, scraping a fresco to make balms, crushing a holy image to use as a potion, chewing an engraving, or simply swallowing the diluted ashes of ancestors: such are these anomalies of the senses. At best, critics will greet these oral urges, which oscillate between high piety and low madness, with perplexity. Rest assured, Les Iconophages is not a stylistic exercise, a simple plaisir du texte relying on gratuitous allusions or metaphorical speculations about passionate relationships with images – the kind of frivolity that sometimes leads us to (in Romanian) a sorbi din priviri or (in French) dévorer des yeux our beloved. On the contrary, Jérémie Koering’s investigation is of the highest scientific rigour. His book meticulously traces the evolution of a phenomenon that has too long remained bereft of an overarching synthesis.

Mihaela Michailov, Corpuri radicale ȋn spectacole contemporane, București: Editura Vellant, 2021, 232 p.

Timea-Andrada TOTH — Sat, 30 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

As a playwright, critic and lecturer (at UNATC “I. L. Caragiale”, Bucharest), Mihaela Michailov (b. 1977) knows how to build a piece of research that is both valuable and innovative in the domains she is focusing on, but also accessible to the general public. Representing a new and improved version of her doctoral thesis, the book Corpuri radicale ȋn spectacole contemporane (roughly translated to Radical bodies in contemporary performances) concentrates on the ways modern theatre, performance art and contemporary dance perceive and “play” with the human body. The book is divided into three chapters, all similarly structured – a general introduction, between 5 and 9 case studies on representative figures, and a short analysis regarding the theme of corporeality in the vision of Romanian artists. The text is accompanied by black and white images, but even more helpful are the QR codes that, when scanned, lead you to various YouTube videos or web pages.

Thomas Köhler, Stefanie Heckmann, and Janina Nentwig (eds.), Edvard Munch. Magic of the North, Berlin: Berlinische Galerie, Hirmer Publishers, 2023, 304 p.

Maria Silvia CRĂCIUN — Sat, 30 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The catalogue of the exhibition Edvard Munch. Magic of the North (15.09.2023–22.01.2024), curated by the Berlinische Galerie. Museum für Moderne Kunst can be reviewed as a book, as it consists of several research-based texts which could function as its chapters. As such, they analyze various pivotal aspects of Munch’s work and highlight the aims and structure of the exhibition. The essays are preceded by a section dedicated to the works chosen to represent Munch’s oeuvre in the current exhibition, headed by brief captions, which are also reproduced throughout the display of the works in the gallery, and followed by a biography of the artist, structured around Berlin landmarks, studios, galleries and bars. Both in the exhibition and in the catalogue, Munch’s works are presented in thematic clusters, which complement rather than fully reflect the concept and the topics explored in the essays. The exhibition and the catalogue produced for this occasion aim to examine Edvard Munch’s special relationship with Berlin, and to argue that his original style developed in the context and under the influence of this growing and dynamic city, to reconstruct the development of the artist’s aesthetic practice, defining his style and emphasizing the originality of his work, and to evaluate the reception of his art in the capital of the Empire, highlighting the impact of Munch’s work on both his contemporaries and younger artists.

Alfred Stieglitz, Camera Work. The Complete Photographs 1903-1917, Köln: Taschen Bibliotheca Universalis, 2022, 552 p.

Maria Silvia CRĂCIUN — Sat, 30 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The catalogue is a new edition of the 1997 original, and frames the photographs, now owned by the Royal Photographic Society, Bath, published in Camera Work between 1903 and 1917. As such, it highlights the multifaceted work of Alfred Stieglitz (1864-1946), known first and foremost as a photographer, although he was also a publisher and curator. However, his contribution to the field of photography is not restricted to his own astounding photographs. Around the turn of the twentieth century, he founded the Photo-Secession, a progressive movement concerned with exploring the creative side of photography. This was part of Stieglitz’s plan to gain recognition for photography as an art form in its own right, propelling it from a peripheral position to center stage. In this context, in 1903, Stieglitz began publishing Camera Work, an avant-garde magazine devoted to expressing the ideas of the Photo-Secession in both images and words. Camera Work is considered the first photo journal whose focus was visual rather than technical and its illustrations were of the highest possible quality. Thus, the first merit of this book is to bring together the amazing photographs from the journal’s 50 issues while highlighting Stieglitz’s work as a publisher. As a journal, Camera Work was also intimately linked to the Little Galleries of the Photo Secession, often referred to simply as 291, for the number where they were located on Fifth Avenue, to the point of becoming an exhibition catalogue and a publicity machine for the Photo-Secession.

Miklós Székely, Schools and Museums of Modern Design in Transylvania Around 1900, Budapest: Institute of Art History, Research Centre for the Humanities, 2023

Cristina ZAHA — Sat, 30 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The volume Schools and museums of modern design in Transylvania around 1900 explores the arts and craft movements in Transylvania after the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 until World War I, through the lenses of the industrial development, education, and culture in several towns of the region which came under the jurisdiction of the newly created independent Hungarian administration, and which are today a part of Romania. The author Miklós Székely, researcher at the Institute of Art History in Budapest, has pointed out over the years in several published articles different aspects of the presence and transformation (in approach and mentality) of arts and craft movements which emerged in the mid-19th century, in connection to the industrial education in the region discussed. However, this book summarizes the results of ten years of research and brings a more concrete approach to the analysis of the impact the industrial vocational schools had on the applied art movements in Transylvania. On the other hand, the book also investigates the state involvement in industrial education and the part it played especially during the 1890s, when a reorganization of the institutions was carried out and a national system was implemented.

The Enfilade of Frames Exhibition at the National History Museum of Transylvania

Radu LUPESCU — Sat, 30 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

By inaugurating the medieval lapidarium, the National History Museum of Transylvania ends a several decades-long wait, during which we have been deprived of one of Cluj’s most admirable exhibitions. A special space of the museum is being reborn, arranged more than a century ago, when the mise en scene with the Renaissance frames enriching the space created by the enfilade rooms was a stroke of genius of the respective era. The rhythm of the doors, gates, and windows adorned with various decorations and inscriptions recreated the varnished world of Renaissance Cluj at a tangible distance. The artistic and visual experience in this lapidarium remained for each visitor unique and memorable in the general context of the museum. The new exhibition maintains the axiality of the old one, yet the thematic grouping of the pieces is much better thought out and presented. Even though in the case of the museum in Cluj, the architectural elements have had a prominent role, and continue to do so, we cannot help but notice that in museums throughout Europe, the lapidarium represents a marginal, tolerated space. In many cases, the masonry recovered from demolished or restored edifices lays among corridor entrances and sometimes in stuffed courtyards, exposed to the elements. We come across them not only in the context of museums but also within castles and churches across Europe. They rarely get the privilege of being relocated in special deposits or, at best, being exhibited. Even when they do become part of an exhibition, they take a supporting act in relation to the more traditional museum pieces.

The Reopening of the Pharmacy Museum at the National History Museum of Transylvania

Ana-Maria GRUIA — Sat, 30 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The National History Museum of Transylvania was elated to announce for the 15th of January 2024 the reopening of the Pharmacy Museum, a treasure trove of medical and pharmaceutical history. After undergoing renovations, on the Day of National Culture, the museum received visitors in the new and expanded exhibition. The Pharmacy Museum, situated in the iconic Hintz House, contains an impressive collection of over 7000 authentic objects. These artefacts range from pharmaceutical vessels, old remedies and medicines, valued books and manuscripts, to vintage medical apparatuses and tell the story of the evolution of pharmacy and medicine in Transylvania. The viewers are invited to explore the evolution of attitudes towards health and disease over the centuries, while the Museum, with its steady mission of research and dissemination, keeps and showcases a rare and highly specialized heritage, and is also a location representative of Cluj-Napoca, a formerly very important medical and pharmaceutical center in Romania. The collection was also recently published during a research project and the 7-volume catalogue is wholly available online (in English).

MNAC – Exhibition Session, 08.2022–03.2023

Anca MUREȘAN — Sat, 30 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

I’m glad that I managed to visit the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Bucharest after a long time during which I haven’t been able to see the simultaneous exhibitions. I’m curious to explore the work of the artists in the line-up so I quickly get into the story. On the ground floor, there was a large photography exhibition under the title Continuous Flow – Discontinuous Images: Author Dani Ghercă, curator Sam Steverlynck. What do we see? A few visual obstacles in the ample space of the first hall, i.e. photographs mounted on a few lonely monoliths describing geometric compositions seen from above. The planimetry of the buildings looks like a section in the structure of a voluminous honeycomb. The compositions are monumental but not as imposing as one would expect after the first steps into the exhibition. In this case, the minimalism of the display excessively rarefies the exhibition. Next door, in the marble hall, we have a slightly more mystical room. Artist Dorina Horătău’s installation relies on correspondence. The bright diagonals are what support the whole ensemble, they are the key to the room. Slits of light mystify the dry leaves layered inside some vertical labyrinth objects. The penumbra leaves a slight feeling of depth, of something more. We advance to the next level. This exhibition is called Leviathan and was inaugurated on 26.05.2022, allowing the visitor to step Into the bowels of the collection of MNAC, concept: Călin Dan, curator: Irina Radu and architecture: Raluca Vișinescu & Ioana Marin.

Nice, Summer, Art. Thu-Van Tran, We Live in the Flicker, MAMAC, Nice, 10.06-01.10.2023. Matisse in the 1930s. Through the Lens of Cahiers d’Art, Musée Matisse, Nice, 23.06.2023-24.09.2023

Anca MUREȘAN — Sat, 30 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

When you first arrive on the Côte d’Azur you expect an incredibly beautiful seaside, the sort you see on Instagram, Saint Tropez movies or in old postcards found around the house. You expect sunshine and a sky melting in a sparkling azurite sea. The advertisement is adequate, but the French Riviera is much more than that. You pass from Italy to France without feeling a cultural transfer on the coast, it’s as if the two countries have put the best of each other together, in the only place where this was possible: Nice. A huge, dense city of mountain and sea, with luxuriant hills, and lavish courtyards spilling out onto the stony slope and down into the sea. A sea that is always calm, torrid and... blue. Nice is not only special for this Franco-Italian overlap that permeates the atmosphere, but also for the abundance of art! Maybe it’s something one doesn’t really anticipate when planning a summer vacation, but the Cote d’Azur’s incredible culture and art are overwhelming.

El Greco Exhibition. Szépművészeti Múzeum, Budapest, 22.10.2022–19.02.2023

Anca MUREȘAN — Sat, 30 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

El Greco was a genius! Being a great artist is not synonymous with being a genius. I’ve also heard it said about Pollock, for example, that he was a genius, but art is less subjective than one might think when it comes to an evaluation. Pollock is a very good artist, but he is not a genius. Art history is rarely wrong when it places an artist or another in its rightful place. Of course, if it is aware of his/her existence, but that’s a different topic... Why did I start with a reference to Pollock even though I want to talk to you about El Greco? No, not because of the 60 drawings signed by Pollock after compositions of Domenicos Theotokopoulos, but because both of them brought something new to painting, something unseen and thought of until they got their hands on colors. Because both of them sparked controversy and each had admirers and a wary public at the same time.

Timișoara 2023 – Spring Vibes, 06.04.2023

Anca MUREȘAN — Sat, 30 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Different Degrees of Freedom, Kunsthalle Bega, 17.03–13.08.2023, curator Diana Marincu, Artists: Andreea Albani (RO), Ștefania Becheanu (FR/RO), Andrei Bucovanu (RO), Mircea Cantor (FR/RO), Ștefan Curelici (RO), Judith Fegerl (AT), Adrian Ganea (RO), Marie-Claire Messouma Manlanbien (FR), Sebastian Moldovan (RO), Ciprian Mureșan (RO), Cristian Rusu (RO), Sinta Werner (DE), Anna Zvyagintseva (UA). Chronic Desire, section Comenduirea Garnizoanei, 17.03–13.08.2023, curators Cosmina Goagea, Corina Oprea, Brîndușa Tudor, artists: Ana Adam, Leonor Antunes, Tarek Atoui, Matei Bejenaru, Anca Benera & Arnold Estefan, Irina Botea Bucan, Pavel Brăila, Anca Bucur, Dana Catona, Lia Dostlieva și Andrii Dostliev, Saskia Holmkvist, Shilpa Gupta, Joan Jonas, Hiwa K, Zhanna Kadyrova, Ana Kun & Noemi Hügel, Susanna Jablonski & Santiago Mostyn, Adriana Lucaciu, Silvia Moldovan, Harun Morrison, Dan Perjovschi, Agnieszka Polska, Renée Renard, Marinella Senatore, Alexa Szekeres, Slavs & Tatars, Mona Vătămanu & Florin Tudor, Rosa Whiteley, RomaMoMA (Ionela Mihaela Cîmpeanu & Sead Kazanxhiu).

Ten Contemporary Art Exhibitions from Cluj-Napoca, 03–07.2023

Anca MUREȘAN — Sat, 30 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Fabrica de Pensule was a welcome exercise for the artistic community in Cluj. An ambitious action modelled on the art hub in Leipzig but keeping in mind the proportions. Unsurprisingly, the exercise ended, as most such agglomerations do, after an average of 5 years. Hopes were rekindled when another artistic hub appeared shortly after the last studios in the factory disappeared. Centrul de Interes, however, destabilized itself in an even shorter time. Even though there is a certain constancy of artistic events in this space, it is no longer what Fabrica de Pensule used to be and what we all hoped Centrul de Interes would revival. It no longer has a vibe, as Gen Z would say. Fabrica de Pensule and, initially, Centrul de Interes, were attractive not just because they were exhibition spaces, but because they emanated the effervescence of creative studios. Artists’ studios were the lifeblood of this ecosystem of contemporary art production and exhibition. In fact, those are the only things that artists essentialy need: a place to create and a place to exhibit! Otherwise, other factors join the platform: gallerists and curators who push things further. Well, the two models of the artistic ecosystem in Cluj did not come out of the 5-year average statistics. However, the community of contemporary artists from Cluj did not evaporate with the dispersion of these two coagulation points. The year 2020 triggered a resettlement on the artistic map of Cluj, of creative studios and exhibition spaces.

Renowned Artists of the Twentieth Century in Bucharest. The Picasso Effect, Museum of Recent Art, Bucharest. 27.09.2023–22.01.2024, Curator Erwin Kessler. The Universe of Salvador Dalí, ARCUB, Bucharest – Gabroveni Inn, 13.12.2023–12.05.2024, Curator Jas

Gabriela Iulia MOLDOVAN, Flavia MONEA — Sat, 30 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The exhibition at the MARe/Museum of Recent Art in Bucharest titled The Picasso Effect (September 27, 2023 – January 8, 2024), commemorates the 50th anniversary of Picasso’s passing. It featured 46 invaluable works by Picasso alongside 65 pieces by 37 contemporary Romanian artists, profoundly influenced by Picasso’s legacy. The exhibition comprises paintings, sculptures, video art, prints, and sketches both by Picasso and Romanian artists. The space itself echoes the artist’s life, exemplified by the striking contrast between the pink walls and the remarkable blue tint of the artworks, reminiscent of Picasso’s pink and blue eras. Another interesting aspect of the space is the grouping of various themes or subjects from Picasso’s life in different rooms of the museum. The intriguing aspect lies in the dialogue between Picasso’s artworks and the other 65 pieces by contemporary Romanian artists, whether part of the museum’s permanent collection or temporary exhibitions. The Museum of Recent Art consistently fosters communication among artworks, drawing imaginary lines between them, a characteristic evident in this exhibition as well. What particularly resonated with me throughout the exhibition was the connection between the artwork Sleeping Woman with Shutters and the entire row of portraits by various Romanian artists. I appreciated both the thoughtful curation of the pieces and the aesthetics of the paneling. Another intriguing connection emerged between Picasso’s Femme à l’Oreiller and Dumitru Gorzo’s painting, Lilith. Following the gaze of the paintings, I discerned a pattern that indicated the specific order in which a visitor should view the artworks. Gorzo’s Bull gazes over at Tincuța Marin’s artwork Untitled, creating a compelling crossover between a painting and a sculpture. This interaction between the wood and the canvas helps create a strong dialogue between artworks across mediums and time. The interconnections established within space offer an authentic and universal perspective on Picasso’s artistic universe.

Gustav Klimt: The Immersive Show. Aural Eye Studio, Music Producer Alexei Țurcan, Museum of Immersive New Art, 25.08.2023–31.01.2024

Gabriela Iulia MOLDOVAN — Sat, 30 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The Exhibition Gustav Klimt. The Immersive Show is part of the permanent exhibition Immersive Space – Gustave Klimt – Underwater World – Inner Constellations – Santa Claus of the Museum of Immersive New Art, which opened its doors on 25th August 2023. The exhibition was presented as a multimedia production, it included over 60 of the most renowned works of the celebrated artist from various periods of his career. Each projection of Gustav Klimt lasted around 15 minutes, and it repeated itself every hour of the museum’s daily program. Among these, notable pieces included The Kiss, recognized as the artist’s most iconic work and considered a national treasure in Austria, and Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer, known as The Woman in Gold, representing the pinnacle of Gustav Klimt’s golden period. The venue impressed with its towering seven-meter height and generous space. Inside, strategically placed mirrored columns conveyed the illusion of a larger space. For the comfort of attendees, the room was equipped with soft cushions, contributing to a relaxing atmosphere.

“Look at them, until you see them”. The Brâncuși Exhibition in Timișoara, 30.09.2023–28.01.2024

Emese PÁL — Sat, 30 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Following the success of the Victor Brauner exhibition, which attracted 26,000 visitors in the spring of 2023, the National Art Museum of Timișoara prepared for another grand event last fall: the Brâncuși: Romanian Sources and Universal Perspectives exhibition, which opened on September 30. Its success surpassed all expectations. By the end of the year, the number of online-purchased tickets reached 100,000 and yet there was a continuous queue in front of the museum, as people from all parts of the country and even from abroad hoped to encounter Brâncuși’s creations without having pre-purchased tickets. The exhibition created through the collaboration of the National Art Museum of Timișoara, the Art Encounters Foundation, and the French Institute in Romania, with financial support from the Timiș County Council was undoubtedly the most successful event of the Timișoara 2023 European Capital of Culture. If you were to ask why… Among the main reasons was undeniably the pulling force of the name itself: alongside George Enescu, Brâncuși is internationally recognized as the most acclaimed Romanian artist. Another factor was the effective marketing campaign, emphasizing that this was Brâncuși’s most comprehensive exhibition in Romania in the last 50 years, displaying 100 artworks from major European collections (e.g. Centre Pompidou - Paris, Tate - London, Guggenheim Foundation - Venice).

"As a historian, I understood from the beginning that you cannot present the course of history without delving deeper into understanding the epoch, its people, their ideals, and without fully respecting them." An Interview with Gheorghe Mândrescu

Zsolt KOVÁCS, Elena FIREA — Sat, 30 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

In the new format of the Studia Universitatis Babeș-Bolyai. Historia Artium journal, the editors wish to provide a section dedicated to interviews with prominent representatives of our craft. It is aimed, on the one hand, to evoke the characteristics and evolution of the institutional framework in which art historians have operated, from museums to the various methods of training specialists in these institutions, and on the other hand, to underline the professional achievements and research interests of those interviewed. By evoking the more or less recent history of our specialization, we aim to reflect at the same time on the current challenges of Art History, in the hope that presenting phenomena and issues faced by previous generations provides not only information related to the institutional or historiographical evolution of the discipline itself, but may also help younger generations in finding solutions to professional problems they are currently facing or will face in the future.

The Geometric System of the Nave Vault of the Church on the Hill of Sighişoara

Eszter JOBBIK, János KRÄHLING — Sat, 30 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The geometric system of the nave vault of the Church on the Hill of Sighişoara. The literature on the methods of late Gothic net vault constructions mainly accentuates ideas, which presume that the initial conditions of the design are orderly. However, in the case of buildings of multiple building periods, this is rarely the case. In the present article, we present the point cloud-based geometric analysis of the net vault system of the Church on the Hill of Sighişoara. Our results highlight that contrary to the generally accepted theories, the construction of a net vault is not necessarily initiated with the plan of the rib system, and that the underlying principle organising the whole system’s geometry is not always the plan pattern. Our case study also exemplifies how the Gothic principles of unity and division still blend with the ideas of separation and addition, even in a late Gothic hall church with direct connections to the guild of Landshut.

“De piloso fonte sum”: On Dishonorable Backgrounds, Lawsuits, Guilds, and Artisans in Early Renaissance Cluj

Ciprian FIREA — Sat, 30 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

“De piloso fonte sum”: On Dishonorable Backgrounds, Lawsuits, Guilds, and Artisans in Early Renaissance Cluj. This study, based on an exceptional source (a judicial record of 1549, published here for the first time) aims at the restitution of the biography and the distinctive character and personality of Gregorius Pictor, an early Renaissance painter from Transylvania, while making recurrent references to the artistic milieu of the sixteenth century Cluj – the town where he was mainly active. The study reveals, undoubtedly, one of the most comprehensive painters’ biographies of Transylvania in early modern times.

Is “Conservation in Ruin” Always the Best Solution? The Case of the Romanesque Church in Gârbova

Ioana RUS-CACOVEAN — Sat, 30 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Is “Conservation in Ruin” Always the Best Solution? The Case of the Romanesque Church in Gârbova. As the leading institution in charge of built heritage protection in Romania after 1952, the Directorate of Historical Monuments (DHM) took essential steps in funding, designing, and conducting various conservation works on sites endangered by earthquakes, looting, improper use, or defective historic restorations. Partially demolished by the local community in the previous centuries and seriously affected by neglect, the Romanesque Lutheran church in Gârbova, Alba County, was in the 1960s on the verge of collapse. After a thorough cause analysis, the DHM managed to prevent disaster by undertaking a rescue intervention in line with the international trends of the time. Thus, the site became one of the first DHM projects to design the preservation of a church in a state of ruin rather than its complete reconstruction. Part of our more extensive research on Transylvanian heritage conservation during the Communist regime of the 20th century and based on previously unpublished information found in the archives of the National Heritage Institute, our study aims at showing that despite DHM’s best intentions, the church lost the chance to be more than a romantic ruin to these days. By rigidly applying the international restoration principles, the Directorate disregarded the parishioners’ will, even though this was one of the very few examples where the owner was still interested in the monument and even suggested its adaptive reuse as a funerary chapel due to its location in the village graveyard.

The Image of Mihai Viteazul in 19th-Century Romanian Paintings

Sergiu-Marius MAN — Sat, 30 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The Image of Mihai Viteazul in 19th-century Romanian Painting. The Romanian artistic movement of the 19th-century assisted the political endeavor of national legitimization by establishing the Romanian identity, in its various forms, through art. By adapting the example of their neoclassical and romantic counterparts they depicted various patriotic symbols on their canvases in order to appeal both to the population, from a visual standpoint, and their inherent political cause: obtaining independence and unifying the historical Romanian provinces. Such unity was first achieved by the historical figure of Mihai Viteazul, a Wallachian prince of the late 16th century. As a consequence, his figure became one of the main motifs illustrated in the art of the time, being closely tied to the concept of Romanian historic identity. The artists underwent a process of research in order to represent and bring forward a faithful image of the ruler, and some of his greatest achievements. Both historical and literary sources were approached, resulting in a diverse body of paintings, which will be discussed in the present article. The research aims to establish the sources on which the various artworks were based, the accuracy of the represented message with respect to the historical background of the ruler as well as the various stylistic approaches of the artists in question.

The Museum as a Catalyst of Community. Case Study: The Exhibition Imagining Futures: Urban Comics From Artivistory Collective at the Art Museum in Cluj-Napoca

Alexandra SÂRBU, Anamaria TOMIUC, Alice Andreea ILIESCU — Sat, 30 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The Museum as a Catalyst of Community. Case Study: The Exhibition Imagining Futures: Urban Comics from ArtiViStory Collective at the Art Museum in Cluj-Napoca. The present article aims at illustrating the role of the contemporary museum as a conscious central stakeholder that strengthens the community and connects in the era of participatory culture with different types of audiences. Built in two parts, the article points out the main concepts of the new museum philosophy as explored in the expertise in the field and brings on a case study that focuses on the analysis of the cultural mediation program built for an original thematic exhibition, centered around the exploration of the urban future and having as its conceptual stake to draw the viewer into a process of reflection on the different ways of perceiving the surrounding society. Understanding social issues, remembering the past, exploring the ecosystem, acting on change and imagining futures are the invisible problems launched for debate through the creative laboratory of the members of the ArtiViStory Collective whose artworks could be explored within the exhibition. Their visual narratives, gathered in the various sections of the exhibition, have invited the viewers to respond to a series of questions that envisage the role of art in the community, the way we perceive the world around us, the stories that can be told about our past, the need for engaging young people into building inclusive communities or the way we can imagine our future. Through a wide variety of formulas for exploiting the potential of the graphic imaginary (visual documentaries, comic strips, animations, sequential illustrations), the exhibition offers an overview of this space of creative investigation of the urban imaginary and social identity, rendering sequential art not only as a tool of representation but as a catalyst for activating the collective imagination, which can serve to coagulate the common interests of the community. At the same time, the cultural mediation program conceived for the exhibition is an important component that creates engagement and participation of young audiences in a discourse on the future of our community.

The Visibility of a City in the Interwar Period. Scopic Regimes in the Photographs of Lajos Orbán (1897–1972) From Cluj

Melinda BLOS-JÁNI — Sat, 30 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The Visibility of a City in the Interwar Period. Scopic Regimes in the Photographs of Lajos Orbán (1897–1972) from Cluj. Lajos Orbán was an amateur photographer, whose main body of work was produced starting from the 1920s when he became the employee of a local shop specialized in photographic equipment and member in local photographic societies, e.g. the Tessar Bowling Society. His photographs were displayed at international photo exhibitions, but he was organising regional photo contests and exhibitions as well. His photographs show the influence of the pictorialist photography, but traces of modernism or the new objectivism are present as well. These pictures became archival documents, and they are also important resources to the visual culture of Transylvania, the visual literacy of the people living in the interwar years. The paper offers an in depth analysis of the scopic regimes detectable in the photographic heritage of Lajos Orbán based on the ways human figures and spatial relations are represented in his pictures.

Photography in the Practice of Contemporary Painting. A Pedagogical Perspective

Anca MUREȘAN — Sat, 30 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Photography in the Practice of Contemporary Painting. A Pedagogical Perspective. Photography is a technological medium that suffers continuous evolution. From its earliest developments to the various types of recent printing, the photographic image has become an avatar of the world. Since images are irreversibly intertwined with human activity, their usage becomes an increasingly frequent practice in the area of traditional creative techniques. This article discusses some examples of this usage in the context of contemporary painting studios in higher education. Photography is accessed by young students and the foray into photographic documentation is now an inevitable tool. The way students use it as an intermediary can be disruptive to their learning process, as long as the role of photography in painting practice is not fully comprehended. There are different ways of integrating photography into the practice of contemporary painting. The present article addresses conceptual aspects, presents several particular situations and launches some perspectives for better understanding these practices. Photography is a tool, not an end, but what happens when these terms juxtapose or are taken for granted? What kind of painting results out of the practical process “contaminated” by photography? However, if technology is properly and timely integrated in the practice of painting, one can no longer talk about a “contamination”, but rather about a conscious process able to generate quality painting.