Elena Murariu (born 29 June 1963) is a

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

n painter and

iconographer Iconology is a method of interpretation in cultural history and the history of the visual arts used by Aby Warburg, Erwin Panofsky and their followers that uncovers the cultural, social, and historical background of themes and subjects in the visu ...

. She is known for her icons and graphics works.

Biography

She was born in

Zvoriștea Zvoriștea is a commune located in Suceava County, Western Moldavia, northeastern Romania. It is composed of eight villages, namely: Buda, Dealu, Poiana, Slobozia, Stânca, Stâncuța, Șerbănești, and Zvoriștea. Natives * Dan Lupașcu (bor ...

, a commune in

Suceava County Suceava County () is a county ('' ro, județ'') of Romania. Most of its territory lies in the southern part of the historical region of Bukovina, while the remainder forms part of Western Moldavia proper. The county seat is the historical town ...

. She started to study fine arts in 1973 at the School of Music and Fine Arts of

Botoșani Botoșani () is the capital city of Botoșani County, in the northern part of Western Moldavia, Moldavia, Romania. Today, it is best known as the birthplace of many celebrated Romanians, including Mihai Eminescu, Nicolae Iorga and Grigore Antipa. ...

. She left for her high-school studies in

Iași Iași ( , , ; also known by other alternative names), also referred to mostly historically as Jassy ( , ), is the second largest city in Romania and the seat of Iași County. Located in the historical region of Moldavia, it has traditionally ...

at the age of 14 attending "Octav Bancilă" Fine Arts High-school of

. In 1983 she left for

Bucharest National University of Arts The National University of Arts in Bucharest ( ro, Universitatea Naţională de Arte) is a university in Bucharest preparing students in fine arts. The National University of Arts is a higher education institution in Bucharest. History The Nat ...

. She graduated in 1987 and immediately started to work as a

curator A curator (from la, cura, meaning "to take care") is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the parti ...

and also as a

mural A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' is a Spani ...

painting restorer. After a decade in which she dedicated herself to gaining experience in the field of restoration of historical monuments she began, starting from 1990, to constantly participate in group and personal exhibitions with works of graphics and icons. As one of the most important contemporary painters and iconographers her works were exhibited in Romania all over Europe (Paris, Barcelona, Athens, Lisbon, Prague, Venice, St. Petersburg, Rome, Kyiv, Belgrade) and also in the US (New York). Also she participated in research papers about restoration of mural paintings. One of her most important projects is the iconography of the Brancovan Holy Martyrs. She also painted the iconostasis of the church of

Cotroceni Palace Cotroceni Palace (Romanian: ''Palatul Cotroceni'') is the official residence of the President of Romania. It is located at ''Bulevardul Geniului, nr. 1'', in Bucharest, Romania. The palace also houses the National Cotroceni Museum. History The ...

. As in her recent artwork, she focused on paying tribute to Romanian Martyrs - the "Martyrs" exhibition and as well the album published on the occasion.

Răzvan Theodorescu Emil Răzvan Theodorescu (born May 22, 1939) is a Romanian historian and politician. He has researched and written extensively on art history in particular. A member of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), he was a member of the Romanian Senate for ...

regards her as a modern painter, one that "... is clearly obsessed, that is the word for it, beautifully obsessed with creating an iconography which is, and I do insist and pray that the esteemed clergy take this exactly as it is, a modern iconography. ... In the last few years, Elena Murariu has created the prolegomena of a well-deserved visual and literary commemoration of the Brâncoveanu moment". Nicoletta Isar when talking about the symbol of "the Ladder" in Christianity references Elena Murariu as "... In an inspired synthesis, one of the most innovative reconfigurations of the icon, Elena Murariu succeeds in capturing within a single image the complex meaning of this iconographic subject." Fr. Michel Quenot considers Elena Murariu, in regards to her project "Martirii", as being someone that created a remarkable work, that will be taken as an inspiration source in the future and also a great homage to the Romanian peoples. Luigi Bambulea when talking about Elena Murariu's "Martirii" album, considers that she reached her artistic and existential maturity by enriching two types of traditions: that of artistic expression in plastic art, painting and that of religious and mystical experiences, synchronizing them with the binder of sacred art."ARTA" Magazine, "arte vizuale/visual arts #42-43 / 2020", article "Memoria vizuală și tradiția. Despre „Martirii” Elenei Murariu" by Luigi Bambulea, Bucharest, 2019, ISSN 0004-3354

Works (selection)

File:Heaven before the Fall, Elena Murariu.jpg, ''Heaven before the Fall'' (2000). File:Macarius of Egypt, Elena Murariu.jpg, ''Macarius of Egypt'' (2002) File:St. Stephan the Great, Elena Murariu.jpg, ''St. Stephan the Great'' (2004). File:12 baskets with crumbs, Elena Murariu.jpg, ''12 baskets with crumbs'' (2005). File:Saint Demetrius by Elena Murariu.jpg, ''Saint Demetrius'' (2006). File:Saint Sisoes in front of the grave of Alexander the Great, Elena Murariu.jpg, ''Saint Sisoes in front of the grave of Alexander the Great'' (2017) File:The return of the prodigal son, Elena Murariu.jpg, ''The return of the prodigal son'' (2018). File:Burning bush, Elena Murariu.jpg, ''Burning bush'' (2018)

Notes

External links

Elena Murariu's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murariu, Elena 1963 births Living people Icon painters 20th-century Romanian painters People from Suceava County 20th-century Romanian women artists 21st-century Romanian painters 21st-century Romanian women artists