Artesanía de Rumania

"What is that impulse, that irresistible force which will not let the peasant rest content with the merely useful, but drives him to seek the best proportioned and most harmonious forms that appeal to the eye by color and line, are pleasant to the touch and produce that rare sense of contentment, poise of mind and joy which characterize aesthetic enjoyment?
 (Historiador del arte George Oprescu, Arte campesino en Rumania, 1922).

Mientras Rumania dio al mundo buenos artistas, entre los cuales escultor Constantino Brancusi is probably the best known, the typical zest for life and almost naive optimism of Romanians is perhaps best expressed in the traditional arts and crafts of local artisans and peasants, extending even to the colorful, unique, grave markers in the "Merry Cemetery" of Sapanta, (NW Romania). There, carved wooden crosses painted in blue, feature colorful traditional motifs and a brief, in many cases humorous, ephitaph concerning the deceased's lifestyle, ocupation, remarkable skills or weaknesses.

Rumania ofrece una gran cantidad de artesanías y artículos decorativos tradicionales, siendo los más populares:

Huevos Pintados

Los ejemplos más fácilmente reconocibles del arte popular rumano son, quizás, los huevos pintados.
Pintar huevos reales ahuecados fue y sigue siendo una parte integral de los preparativos para la Pascua, una celebración de renovación.
En muchas zonas rurales de Rumania, las mujeres y los niños todavía se reúnen, antes de Pascua, en casa de alguien y pasar un día pintando y cotilleando.
Los patrones intrincados eran en realidad lenguajes secretos conocidos sólo por los residentes de las regiones donde fueron pintados.
Los más antiguos que se conocen fueron pintados con agua fuerte (ácido nítrico) sobre un tradicional fondo rojo. Los huevos pintados se pueden conseguir en casi todas las tiendas de souvenirs y mercadillos.

Cerámica

Romanian pottery is still made mainly on traditional kick-wheels with simple finishing tools. Shapes, sizes and patterns reflect the different clays and cultures of diverse areas where are produced. Color glazes and decorations vary from strong geometrics, to delicate florals, animals and humans. There are approximately 30 pottery centers throughout the country, each with its own distinctive style, but the main areas are in Horezu en Oltenia; Miercurea-Ciuc y Corund en el este de Transilvania; Baia Mare - NO de Rumania, y Radauti y Marginea en la región de Bucovina (NE de Rumania).

Madera tallada

Maramureş region (NW Romania) is, without a doubt, the area in wich almost every household item made from wood is adorned with traditional motifs. Homes are made from elaborately carved wood beams, wooden gates and even fences are intricately decorated. Historically, in this area, a family's community status was displayed through the carvings in the wooden-gates – the more elaborate, the more important and wealthy the family. In the "Merry Cemetery" of Sapanta, hand-carved decorations in complex patterns hold meanings beyond the purely decorative. Trees of life, twisted rope, moons, stars, flowers and wolf teeth to ward off evil spirits are associated with myths and superstitions. They show up in furniture, spoons, ladles, walking sticks, keepsake chests and other decorative objects, sometimes embellished with paint. Wooden flutes and recorders are also elaborately carved. Most prized are the multi-piped pan flutes, which are now very rare, as few artisans know how to make them and even fewer know how to play them.

Textiles

Textile weaving is the most widespread craft in Romania, handed down from generation to generation, using distinctive family patterns along with those specific to different districts. Looms still are common in homes and women weave and embroider from childhood through old age. The predominant fibers, wool and cotton are woven into rugs, wall hangings, table covers and clothing. Some Romanian weavers and embroiderers still work with threads and yarns they produce themselves, but younger weavers tend to purchase their raw materials. They weave and embroider just about every cloth article used in their homes, from colorful linen and cotton towels to window draperies, bedspreads, rugs, wall hangings, furniture throws and clothing. In a village near Sibiu, part of a bride's dowry is still a tolico, Se utiliza para decorar los caballos de quienes cabalgan de casa en casa repartiendo invitaciones de boda.

Embroidery on folk costumes worn for holidays and special occasions (like weddings) follows strict regional patterns and serves also as a sort of secret language known only to people within the different regions. In Sibiu (Transylvania) graphic black and white motifs, reflecting its Saxon heritage are used; In southern Romania red, brown, yellow, gold, and silver threads, reflect influences of the Ottoman Empire. Terra cotta is used in the areas at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains; Green is used in Oas land (NW Romania) while in Moldavia (NE Romania) orange and the Voronet blue are the dominant colors. Especially beautiful is cut embroidery on white or ecru linen and cotton, done throughout the country.

Tejer lana de propias ovejas, con hilo que ella misma hila, no es raro y todavía se pueden encontrar ejemplos invaluables de una forma de vida duradera en muchos pueblos de Rumania.

Alfombras

While technically textiles, these deserve their own category, because no other textiles so dramatically reflect their regions of origin. As varied as different areas' attractions, so too are the rugs that are displayed on surrounding fences. Most are flat-weave kilims, probably introduced centuries ago by the controlling Ottoman Empire. Today's hand-weavers mix traditional vegetable-dyed yarns with commercial aniline-dyed yarns to produce startling accents within traditional patterns and colors. Rugs from Oltenia reflect nature, with flowers, trees and birds. Those of Moldavia have patterns of little branches repeated in rows to create a tree of life. Rugs from Maramures tend to have geometric shapes, resembling those from Turkey and the Caucasian mountains.

Máscaras de cuero

Masks are linked to folk festivals held predominantly in Maramures and Moldavia. Typically made from the hides of sheep, goats or cows, the masks are adorned with fabric, hats, pompoms, metallic bits, feathers, beans, straw and animal horns to represent bears and goats, they're traditionally worn to welcome in the New Year during a couple weeks in December and early January.

Vidrio soplado

The oldest preserved glass found on Romania's territory dates back to the Roman Empire. Currently, there is a renewed passion for creating art in blown glass and several contemporary Romanian glass artists enjoy international recognition. Most of the professional glass artists are clustered in the northeast, near town of Botosani. Artesanos del vidrio en pequeños talleres, ubicados en Transilvania y Valaquia, produce vidrio moldeado, moldeado y soplado a mano en creaciones espectaculares.

Artes de Rumania

Las obras del escultor Constantin Brancusi se exhiben en los mejores museos de arte del mundo, pero sus obras más importantes se pueden ver en la localidad de Targu Jiu, en la región de Oltenia (suroeste de Rumanía). "La columna sin fin" (Coloana Infinita), "La Puerta del Beso" (Poarta Sărutului), "La Mesa del Silencio" (Masa Tăcerii) y "El Callejón de las Sillas" (Aleea Scaunelor) están ubicados en el parque central de Targu Jiu, exactamente donde deseaba el gran escultor.

No muy lejos de Targu Jiu, ciudad de Horezu es un importante centro cerámico y hogar de la "Galería de Arte Popular Contemporáneo donde se exhiben obras de artistas rumanos.

Romania has a great diversity of museums preserving every facet of its history and arts. Some are small museums, catering to enthusiasts with a taste for special interests such as pharmacy, clocks, railway trains, folk arts and architecture, wine making and traditional crafts. Larger museums host regular exhibitions from around the world, as well as housing permanent collections of paintings and sculptures. Prominent museums include Romania's National Museum of Art, the Art Collections Museum, the Village Museum, the Museum of the Romanian Peasant in Bucharest, and the Bruckenthal Museum in Sibiu.

Los principales museos de arte de Rumania incluyen:

Museo de Arte de Arad   (Complejo Muzeal Arad)

Museo de Arte de Brasov   (Muzeul de Arta Brasov)

Brasov Ethnography Museum  (Muzeul de Etnografie Brasov)

Palacio y Museo Cotroceni   (Muzeul Nacional Cotroceni)

Museo Minovici de Arte Occidental Antiguo - Bucarest   (Muzeul de Arta Veche Apuseana)

Bucarest - Museo del Campesino Rumano   (Muzeul Taranului Romano)

Bucarest - Museo Nacional de Arte  (Muzeul Nacional de Arta - Bucuresti)

Bucarest - Museo Nacional de Arte Contemporáneo  (Muzeul Nacional de Arte Contemporáneo)

Museo de Arte Storck - Bucarest  (Muzeul de Arta Frederic Storck y Cecilia Cutescu-Storck)

Museo de Arte Theodor Pallady  (Muzeul de Arta Theodor Pallady)

Museo de Arte Krikor H. Zambaccian  (Muzeul de Arta KH Zambaccian)

Museo Nacional de Arte de Cluj Napoca   (Muzeul National de Arta - Cluj Napoca)

Museo Etnográfico de Transilvania Cluj Napoca   (Muzeul Etnografic al Transilvaniei)

Museo de Arte de Constanza  (Muzeul de Arta Constanta)

Museo de Arte de Iasi  (Muzeul de Arta Iasi - Palatul Culturii)

Museo Nacional de Arte Samuel Brukenthal - Sibiu   (Muzeul Nacional Brukenthal)

Sibiu - Museo Etnográfico ASTRA   (Muzeul, in aer liber, ASTRA - Dumbrava Sibiului)

Museo Etnográfico Universal Franz Binder  (Muzeul de Etnografie Universala Franz Binder - Sibiu)

Maramures Ethnography Museum  (Muzeul de Etnografie al Maramuresului - Sighetu Marmatiei)

Bucovina Ethnography Museum  (Muzeul de Etnografie Hanul Domnesc - Suceava)

Museo de Arte de Timisoara  (Muzeul de Arta Timisoara)