Happy Birthday Romania

[Florestan]

'Wish you were here': painting by Asiza Demetrian:

Never heard about her. 

Anyway, this is my current avatar:



Nicolae Tonitza - Mama şi copilul (The mother and her child)

[vandermolen]

Never heard about her. 

Anyway, this is my current avatar:



Nicolae Tonitza - Mama şi copilul (The mother and her child)

Yes, I like it - a tender work and it encouraged me to look for other paintings by Romanian artists.

[Florestan]

Yes, I like it - a tender work

Ain't it? Rightly or wrongly I associate it with such works as Hymne de l'enfant à son réveil, Kinderszenen, A prole do bebê, Dolly, Children's Corner, Hungarian Children's World etc.

But my views on childhood and children are best expressed not in music but in words, incidentally the words of an Englishman --- first and foremost Intimations of Immortality, too long to quote it in full, then this sone which basically nails the whole matter:

My Heart Leaps Up

My heart leaps up when I behold
A rainbow in the sky:
So was it when my life began;
So is it now I am a man;
So be it when I shall grow old,
Or let me die!
The Child is father of the Man;
And I could wish my days to be
Bound each to each by natural piety.

it encouraged me to look for other paintings by Romanian artists.

My job here is done.

[vandermolen]

Ain't it? Rightly or wrongly I associate it with such works as Hymne de l'enfant à son réveil, Kinderszenen, A prole do bebê, Dolly, Children's Corner, Hungarian Children's World etc.

But my views on childhood and children are best expressed not in music but in words, incidentally the words of an Englishman --- first and foremost Intimations of Immortality, too long to quote it in full, then this sone which basically nails the whole matter:

My Heart Leaps Up

My heart leaps up when I behold
A rainbow in the sky:
So was it when my life began;
So is it now I am a man;
So be it when I shall grow old,
Or let me die!
The Child is father of the Man;
And I could wish my days to be
Bound each to each by natural piety.

My job here is done.

Lovely quote from 'Intimations of Immortality' (do you know the Finzi work based on it?)

Anyway, here she is again:

Romanian Girl by Asiza Demetrian (contemporary Romanian artist):
[asin][/asin]

[Florestan]

Lovely quote from 'Intimations of Immortality' (do you know the Finzi work based on it?)

No, but I intend to remedy the situation asap.

Anyway, here she is again:

Romanian Girl by Asiza Demetrian (contemporary Romanian artist):
[asin][/asin]

Nice, I like it. What is the Amazon image, though? It doesn't load.

[vandermolen]

No, but I intend to remedy the situation asap.

Nice, I like it. What is the Amazon image, though? It doesn't load.

I found the image through the artist's own website and not through Amazon. Her biographical details are interesting as, at age 35, she discovered that she had an identical twin sister. From the age of six she had been drawing images of the female figure without knowing why:

https://www.asiza.ca

[Florestan]

Her biographical details are interesting as, at age 35, she discovered that she had an identical twin sister. From the age of six she had been drawing images of the female figure without knowing why:

https://www.asiza.ca

That's intriguing. Asiza is emphatically not a Romanian surname and I doubt there is any other living Romanian woman bearing it; it sounds Turkish or Arabic. On the other hand, Demetrian is a (rare) Romanian family name, while Gina is a rather common Romanian surname. Hmmm....

[vandermolen]

That's intriguing. Asiza is emphatically not a Romanian surname and I doubt there is any other living Romanian woman bearing it; it sounds Turkish or Arabic. On the other hand, Demetrian is a (rare) Romanian family name, while Gina is a rather common Romanian surname. Hmmm....

Interesting indeed.

Happy Birthday to Florestan too - although not Happy 100th birthday!


Last week I did attend a 100th birthday party.

[Florestan]

Happy Birthday to Florestan too - although not Happy 100th birthday!

Thanks a lot.

Last week I did attend a 100th birthday party.

Great. If I make it to 100, I'll certainly invite you. 

[vandermolen]

Thanks a lot.

Great. If I make it to 100, I'll certainly invite you. 

I'll be long gone but thanks for the kind thought 

[vandermolen]

How could I forget my favourite Romanian artist; in fact one of the greatest sculptors of the Twentieth Century? Constantin Brancusi 1876-1957 (a sculptor I know recently told me that it's pronounced 'Brancush' - is that right Florestan? For decades I'd been pronouncing it as 'Brancusee').


The top one is 'Head of Orpheus'
The lower one is 'The Kiss' - Brancusi's response to Rodin's 'The Kiss'. I prefer Brancusi's version.

[North Star]

How could I forget my favourite Romanian artist; in fact one of the greatest sculptors of the Twentieth Century? Constantin Brancusi 1876-1957 (a sculptor I know recently told me that it's pronounced 'Brancush' - is that right Florestan? For decades I'd been pronouncing it as 'Brancusee').

I checked from another Romanian I know, and your sculptor acquaintance is right - I had assumed the same wrong pronunciation before too.

[vandermolen]

I checked from another Romanian I know, and your sculptor acquaintance is right - I had assumed the same wrong pronunciation before too.

Thanks Karlo!

[Mandryka]

Michael Nyman set a few of them too.

And Birtwistle set three of them, recorded by Boulez and probably others.

[steve ridgway]

Last but not least - Milka!

[Florestan]

How could I forget my favourite Romanian artist; in fact one of the greatest sculptors of the Twentieth Century? Constantin Brancusi 1876-1957 (a sculptor I know recently told me that it's pronounced 'Brancush' - is that right Florestan? For decades I'd been pronouncing it as 'Brancusee').

I checked from another Romanian I know, and your sculptor acquaintance is right - I had assumed the same wrong pronunciation before too.

Yes, guys --- it's "sh" not "see".

The Wikipedia entry features the correct spelling and the correct pronunciation, both in transliteration and as an audio file where it's clearly pronounced by an obviously native Romanian speaker.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantin_Br%C3%A2ncu%C8%99i