Milita Petrascu was surely the most important female sculptor in the history of Romanian art, specialising in portraits and busts, all in a classical, yet impressive and new manner. Her works, most of them monumental, can be found in several Romanian cities. She was born on December 31st 1892 in Chisinau, as Melania Nicolaevici and in 1907 - 1908 studied sculpture at the Plastic Arts School Stroganov in Moscow, further enrolling at the Bestujev Institute in St Petersburg, to study Philosphy and Literature. She left in 1910 to Munich, where she discovered the early avantgarde ideas, then to Paris, where she worked in the studios of Matisse and Bourdelle, who would prove to be of little influence.
She was much more influenced by Constantin Brancusi, whom she met after WWI and who offered her information and guidance in the field of modern sculpture. She married Emil Petrascu in 1925 and finally settled in Bucharest, the capital of Romania, where she would be a major name in the avantgarde movements of here time, and also a member of the famous Criterion. She exhibited several times, mainly at group official shows, and it was in 1927 that she finished the mosaic for the Miorita Fountain in Bucharest, one of her best known works, which proved her already mature style and serious, classical training. She exhibited abroad in 1930, in Amsterdam, proving once again that she was a sculptor to be reckoned with.
She presented her first portraits in the 30s and in 1933 she exhibited at the Futurist Exhibition in Rome, with great success, as her creation didn't pass unnoticed by the art critics and collectors, so it was naturally for her to exhibit over the following years in Germany, Italy, Austria, England, France and so on. Milita Petrascu was a classical and original artist, who was close to the avantgarde but at the same time didn't abandon for just one bit the values of equilibrum, form and balance. Always the sculptor tried to capture the essence of the character - when in came to busts - and provided posterity with several impressive representantions of great Romanian artists, such as Brancusi or the famous poet, George Bacovia. It was in the latter case that she interpreted beautifully the personality and poetry of the writer, as the works dedicated and inspired by him are really Bacovia - like, much more than others.
After her short, yet formative period spent as an avantgarde artist, Milita Petrascu was drawn especially towards portraits, and it was this theme that would bring her a lot of admiration and respect from the public, fellow artists and critics. Her figures were strong, realistic and instanly recognisable, at the same time modern and well-done. It was due to this that she received several important commisions, so many that she often worked hard, trying to make due with the constraints of time. A strong and original sculptor, highly influential in her lifetime and after, Milita Petrascu is still remembered and admired. The artist passed away in 1976, in Bucharest, leaving behind a huge collection of works of all kind.
Photo : wikipedia.org
2008-07-25
