Images

Graphics collection

The Romanian Graphic Art Collection, formed primarily through acquisitions and donations made especially in the second half of the last century, offers a multifaceted perspective on the artistic and technical explorations developed nationally. The component works span a generous chronological framework (18th–21st centuries).

Among the works belonging to this heritage collection, we highlight the 80 woodcuts originating from the Transylvanian village of Hășdate—the so-called “woodblock-printed pictures”—created by folk artisans such as Onisie Pop, Gheorghe Pop, Nechita Morariu, and Simion Pop. These images capture attention through the spontaneity and vigorous energy of the line, the compositional conciseness, the subtle chromatic range, and an innate sense of proportion.

A rich analytical perspective on how aesthetic visions (and their stylistic imprints) crystallized across different evolutionary stages of national visual art is opened by a group of drawings executed in pencil or pen at the end of the 18th century and the first half of the 19th century. These were created by young journeymen preparing to demonstrate their acquired mastery through a final exam in goldsmithing. Closely following these are pencil copies, later enhanced with watercolor, made after fresco paintings that had been the subject of restoration—some heavily damaged by the ravages of time. Complementing these are a series of watercolor or pencil sketches by renowned artists such as Theodor Aman, Barabás Miklós, Sikó Miklós, Ede Svoboda, Sava Henția, Carol Popp de Szathmari, and Venceslav Melka.

An extremely valuable segment of the Romanian graphic collection is made up of the drawings and caricatures from the prestigious “Virgil Cioflec” gallery, which supplement lesser-known aspects of the creative profile of Nicolae Grigorescu, regarded as a true representative of the “national character.” These works offer a suggestive and evocative image of the complexity of the artistic directions he pursued throughout his career.

An insightful snapshot of the social and spiritual environment of the first half of the 20th century is offered by the drawings signed by artists such as Gabriel Popescu, D. Stoica, Theodor Pallady, Nicolae Tonitza, Marcel Iancu, Leon Alex, Szolnay Sándor, Hans Eder, Gheorghe Petrașcu, Iosif Iser, Anastase Demian, Nagy Imre, Hans Hermann, Popp Lajos, and Gy. Szabó Béla. Also of real interest are the watercolors of Lucian Grigorescu, Ștefan Constantinescu, Nicolae Tonitza, M.W. Arnold, Rodica Maniu, Gheorghe Zlotescu, as well as the ink wash drawings (laviuri) of Hrandt Avachian. The broad collection also includes works bearing the mark of the creative force of some of the most influential graphic artists of the Cluj School of Fine Arts, as well as other prominent names naturally associated—through their professional background or artistic activity—with other artistic centers in the country.

As for the Universal Graphic Art Collection, it currently comprises a substantial number of works, bringing into focus prominent names in European printmaking and drawing from the 16th to the 20th century. The collection as a whole reflects a wide range of refined and inventive artistic concerns, with strong artistic and historical-documentary potential.

The European school with the highest degree of representation within the foreign graphic art collection of the Cluj Art Museum is the French school. The constituent works—through their great technical-stylistic and thematic diversity—offer illustrative glimpses into the highly complex artistic concerns of the period spanning from the first half of the 17th century to the end of the 19th century. Notable names represented in this collection include Antoine Masson, Robert Nanteuil, Pierre-Imbert Drevet, Pierre-Jean Mariette, Charles-Louis Simonneau, Alexandre Gabriel Decamps, Honoré Daumier, Paul Gavarni, Théodore Géricault, Alexandre Gabriel Decamps, A.H. Cham, Théophile Alexandre Steinlen, and Félix Vallotton.

The holdings of Italian prints, numerically far smaller than those of the French school, are nonetheless centered around major artistic figures of great resonance within the European cultural milieu of the 17th–18th centuries. Among them are Stefano della Bella (1610–1664), Benigno Bossi (1727–1792), and Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720–1778). The gallery of European graphic art also includes notable representatives of the German, Flemish, and Dutch schools.

In recent years, the Universal Graphic Art Collection of the museum has seen significant expansion—both in quantity and value—regarding its reflection of contemporary artistic trends. Beyond generous donations from private collectors and exhibiting artists, a particularly important contribution to this patrimonial growth came from the ten editions held so far of the large-scale international exhibition known as “Tribuna Graphic.” This initiative, launched by the cultural magazine Tribuna in collaboration with the Cluj-Napoca Art Museum and the Cultural Foundation Cluj International Graphic Biennial, has from the very first edition (2010) centered on presenting cutting-edge international trends and directions in graphic art. A key aim of the exhibition has been the full donation of all exhibited works, thereby diversifying and enriching the holdings of the Cluj Art Museum.