Tag Archives: mother

Genetics?


Where does come from, my “talent”, my ability to draw and paint? The capacity to quickly observe and analyse and synthesize forms and colors? I had no doubt such a “talent” is NOT only the 99% of Einstein’s sweat… There is something in my genes… Something I have inherited…

Well, I can tell you one thing, just like Van Gogh, it’s rather from my mother side than from my father’s… My mother had this “talent”, this pleasure to draw and use colors. One of my earlier memeories concerning the artistical use of colors were the hours when I “helped” my mother to do Easter cards, in colored inks on bright cardboard… I was 5-6 years old… Another “talented” member of my family was uncle Nelu, one of my mother’s brothers, the one who was a political prisoner (First, condemned to the death penalty for “treason” and “armed complot against the Popular Republic of Romania” in 1956; then his penalty was commuted to life, then to 25 years hard labor… finally, he was released in 1964 when most of the political prisoners were released…) This is one of his paintings: I bought it for 500 lei (quite a sum at the time for a student) and I still have it at my parents house, in Romania… a bit “naive” but not without a certain “charm”…

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D’ou ca me viens, mon habilité de dessiner et de peindre? La capacité q’a mon oeil d’observer, analiser et synthetiser rapidement et finement les forms et les couleurs? En ce qui me concerne, je n’ai pas de doute que ca ce N’EST PAS seulement le 99% de transpiration dont parlait Eistein… Il y a quelque chose dans mes gènes… Quelque chose que j’ai hérité des miens…

Une chose est sure et certaine: tout comme pour Van Gogh, c’est plutôt du côté de ma mère que je l’ai hérité… Ma mère, ellle, avait ce plaisir-la de dessiner, de colorier… parmi les souvenirs les plus plaisant et les plus anciens que j’ai, concernant l’utilisation “artistique” des couleurs, sont celles de moi, aidant ma mère à faire des cartes de souhait pour les Paques avec des encre coloriés brillants sur du carton… J’avais 5-6 ans… Un autre membre “talentueux” de la famille de ma mère c’est l’oncle Nelu, celui qui a été prisonier politique. En 1956, il a été condamné à mort pour “trahison” et “complot armée” contre la République Populaire de Roumanie. Après, sa peine a été commuté en prison à vie, puis à 25 années de “bagne”. Il a été libéré en 1964, comme presque tous les déténus politiques… Celui-ci est une des ses peintures. Je l’ai achété avec 500 lei (une pas mal grosse somme pour l’étudiant que j’était dans le temps…) C’est un peu naive mais pas dénuée de charme…

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De unde-mi vine “talentul” la desen si pictura? Calitatea ochiului meu de a observa, analiza si sintetiza cu rapiditate si finetze formele si culorile? sunt convins ca nu e vorba doar de 99% transpiratzie, cum spunea Einstein…E ceva genetic, ceva ce am mostenit de la parintzi…

Un lucru e sigur: ca si Van Gogh, mi-am mostenit inclinarile artistice dinspre partea maica-mii… Ea e cea caruia îi facea placere sa deseneze si sa coloreze… Una din cele mai vechi si placute amintiri ale mele se refera la orele pe care le petreceam ajutand-o pe maica-mea sa faca felicitari pentru Pasti cu tusuri colorate, stralucitoare, pe carton lucitor… Aveam poate 5-6 ani… Un alt membru al familiei maica-mii cu talent la desen a fost unchiu Nelu, condamnatul politic. Condamnat la moarte in 1956, pentru tradare si complot impotriva R.P.Române, pedepsa i-a fost apoi comutata in închisoare pe viatza, apoi 25 de ani de munca silnica. A fost eliberat in 1964, ca majoritatea prizonierilor politici. Pictura de mai jos e una de-a lui, un pic naiva dar nu lipsita de farmec… I-am cumparat pe cand eram student, cu 500 lei (ceea ce nu era putzin pe vremea aia)…

peisaj unchiu nelu

Sketching with “baitz”


This is a drawing I’ve sketched in 1974, a period in my life when I was seriously considering becoming a professional artist and prepared for the Belle-Arte University by drawing every day… My mom was my usual model and I’m just now understanding what dedication and love took for her to pose, after 8 h of work as an economist… I’m not sure I would do for my children what she did for me…True, I tried to make the posing sessions more pleasant, playing Dalida and Adamo and Italian music on the gramophone… The technique was calumeau (reed, cut à la Van Gogh) with “baitz” (I did not find but the equivalent in German, “beize”) a brown redish industrial colorant. Now, with my present knowledge of colors, I would say the most similar colour would be Burnt Omber. A color for which I have a constant preference…

My mother posing