~ Famous Romanians ~
Born on Feb. 21, 1876 in Hobita,
Romania, he is a world famous artist who pioneered modern abstract sculpture. As
a kid, he looked after his family's flock of sheep and learned how to carve
wood. Later, Brâncusi's work was strongly influenced by traditional patterns.
In 1894 he entered the School of Arts and Crafts with the help of a local industrialist. In 1898 he was admitted to the Bucharest School of Fine Arts. Brâncusi soon became curious about artistic movements abroad. In 1904, he decided to go to Paris. Brâncusi entered the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and later the workshop of the great french sculptor Auguste Rodin. However he left the master quite soon, convinced that "Only grass can grow in the shadow of the great trees". In Paris he also became friends with the painters Amedeo Modigliani and Henri Rousseau.
In 1937 and 1938 Brâncusi created a sculptural ensemble in the Romanian town of Targu Jiu. These three important pieces - "The silent Table", "The Gate of the Kiss", and "The Endless Column" - are based on the idea of a "Temple of Meditation", serving as a tribute to the Romanian soldiers who died in World War I.
Brâncusi's works attracted many great art collectors. Many of his works can now be seen in museums across the United States, including at the National Gallery of Art here in Washington, DC.
Enescu was born in 1881 in Liveni,
Romania. He was an excellent violinist and a remarkable composer, bringing the
sounds of the Romanian traditional songs into classical music. He was considered
a wonder child, somewhat like Mozart. At age seven Enescu went to the Vienna
Conservatory, and later to Paris, to study the violin and composition.
In 1899 he won the first prize for violin at the Paris Conservatory, thus beginning his career as a virtuoso violinist. He died in 1955.
Enescu's compositions reflect a profound love for the Romanian traditional themes. He wrote chamber music and orchestral works and a sophisticated opera (Oedipe,1936). The artist was also greatly respected as a teacher, being the idol of generations of violinists.
Emil Cioran is one of the most
celebrated Romanian writers and philosophers of the 20th
century. Born in 1911, in Rasinari, Romania, he graduated from the
University of Bucharest in 1932 and became part of a group of enthusiastic and
bright people that profoundly influenced the Romanian culture between the two
world wars. In 1937 he earned a grant from the French government and left for
Paris. His best known works include: "Pe culmile disperarii"("In
Dire Despair"1934), "Lacrimi si Sfinti"("Tears and
Saints"1937), "Precis de decomposition" ("A Manual on
Decomposition"1949), "Exercices d'admiration" ("Exercises of
Admiration"1985).
Born on
February 28, 1907 in Bucharest, Mircea Eliade was a philosopher a writer and one
of the most interesting personalities of the last century. A truly encyclopedic
spirit and restless soul, always in search of the true nature of the human
being, he was fascinated by the ancient religions and philosophies of people
around the world. He earned a MA in philosophy from the University of Bucharest.
At 21 years of age, he left for India, where he studied Sanskrit, Yoga and
Indian philosophy at the University of Calcutta. Believing that the meaning of
life can only be understood through personal experience, Eliade lived for six
months in a hermitage in the Himalayas. Later he earned his Ph.D. in philosophy
with the paper "Yoga: Essay on the Origins of Indian Mysticism"(1933).
This remained as the first ever exhaustive study of the Yoga by a westerner.Upon his return to Romania, Eliade had an intense activity as a writer and professor of the history of religions at the University of Bucharest.
Following the Second World War, he had to leave the country to avoid prosecution by the communists due to his political beliefs and moved to Paris. In 1956 he became Professor of the history of religions at the University of Chicago where he won worldwide fame. Mircea Eliade died on April 22, 1986. Since 1985, the title of professor of the history of religions at the University of Chicago bears his name.
Ionesco is one of the most prominent dramatic authors of the
century, known as an innovator of dramatic techniques and one of the founders of
the "Absurd" Theatre. Born in Slatina, Romania, in 1912, Eugène
Ionesco earned a degree at the University of Bucharest then moved to Paris where
he spent most of his career. He wrote his well-known play "La Cantatrice
Chauve" (The Bald soprano). Ionescu continued with "La Leçon"
(1951; The Lesson), "Les Chaises" (1952; The Chairs),
and "Le Nouveau Locataire" (1955; The New Tenant ) "Le Roi
se meurt" (1962; Exit the King). "La Soif et la Faim"
(1966; Thirst and Hunger). Probably the most popular play,
"Rhinoceros", shows a character who tries to preserve his humanity in
a world where humans are mutating into beasts.
Nicolae Titulescu (1882-1941)
Politician and eminent Romanian
diplomat. Born in
Craiova in 1882, Titulescu earned a degree in law from Paris before beginning a
career as a law professor at the Universities of Iasi and Bucharest. He was
elected to the Romanian Parliament in 1912. He also served as Romanian Minister
of finance, ushering in the country's new income tax and agricultural reform.
In the late 1920s and 1930s Titulescu went from being a promising local political figure to an internationally respected statesman.
He was minister of foreign affairs on two occasions and twice ambassador to the Court of St. James. He served as President of the League of Nations for two terms.
In the ‘30s, the League of Nations, the precursor organization to the UN, experienced a series of problems that would eventually plunge Europe into its second great conflagration this century. Titulescu was a man whose desire for peace, stability and good neighborly relations was out of step with the authoritarian and fascist movements sweeping the continent. In 1936, he resigned from diplomatic service. He died in 1941 in Paris.
Jean Negulesco (1900-1993)
He was born on February 26, 1900 in
Craiova, Romania. Originally a painter Negulesco broke into film in the '40s
with Warner Bros melodramas such as Humoresque (1947), starring Joan
Crawford and John Garfield, and Johnny Belinda (1948) movie that earned a
dozen Oscar nominations, including one for Best Director.
But while this early work is Negulesco's most accomplished, the Romanian auteur achieved his greatest fame directing some of the frothiest films of the '50s for 20th Century Fox, including How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) and Three Coins in a Fountain (1954).
He
was born in 1912 in Iasi, Romania. Following World War II he moved to the United
States where he joined the faculty at Yale University, School of Medicine.
He is a pioneer of modern cell biology research, helped lead the convergence of electron microscopy, cell fractionation and is a leading scientist in the study of cell structure and function. In 1974 George Emil Palade won the Nobel Prize in Medicine for discoveries concerning the structural and functional organization of the cell.
She
was born on November 12, 1961. Nadia was the first gymnast ever to score a
perfect 10 in a competition. It happened during the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games
where she won three gold medals, one silver, and one bronze, and all this when
she was only 14 years of age. Nadia continued her dominance through the 1980
Olympic Games in Moscow, winning two more gold and two silver medals. Later she
left Romania and is now living in the USA where she remains involved in
gymnastics. Inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 1993.
Gheorghe
Hagi is one of the greatest Romanian soccer stars of all the times. Offensive
midfielder, he was the Captain of the Romanian National Team. Showing a
brilliant technique, he consistently enchanted his fans with his great shots. In
Romania, he played mainly for Sportul Studentesc and Steaua Bucharest, with
which he won the European Champions Cup in 1986. After that, he played for teams
outside Romania such as Real Madrid, Brescia, Galata Saray. During the 1994
World Cup USA, he was the highlight of the Romanian team, earning the hearts of
many American soccer fans.
The first Romanian tennis player to make a name outside
Romania. At his best, Nastase was a fast player and exhibited intricate footwork
and brilliant ball handling. His career peaked in 1973, when he ranked #1 Player
on the ATP list. He won 57 Single Titles and two Grand-Slam Finals (1972 and
1973). In Romania, he is most popular because of his playing with Ion Tiriac.
Together they succesfully represented Romania in the Davis Cup in the seventies.
Due to their success, tennis became very popular in Romania, mainly among the
youth. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall
of Fame in 1991.