Marcel Olinescu (; September 17, 1896–February 15, 1992) was 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 engraver. Born in

Dorohoi Dorohoi () is a city in Botoșani County, Romania, on the right bank of the river Jijia, which broadens into a lake on the north. History Dorohoi used to be a market for the timber and farm produce of the north Moldavian highlands; merchants fr ...

, his father Teofil was a German-language teacher who came from Hliboka (''Adâncata'') in Austrian-ruled

Bukovina Bukovinagerman: Bukowina or ; hu, Bukovina; pl, Bukowina; ro, Bucovina; uk, Буковина, ; see also other languages. is a historical region, variously described as part of either Central or Eastern Europe (or both).Klaus Peter BergerT ...

. His mother, Terezia (''née'' Kernbach), came from a family of German doctors. He attended primary school in his native town, followed by gymnasium at Pomârla from 1907 to 1911. Between 1919 and 1921, he attended the Fine Arts Academy 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 ...

, followed by the National School of Fine Arts in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...

from 1921 to 1923. There, one of his professors was

Dimitrie Paciurea Dimitrie Paciurea (; 2 November (1873 or 1875) – 14 July 1932) was a Romanian sculptor. His representational and symbolic style contrasts strongly to the more abstract style of his contemporary and co-national Constantin Brâncuși. Born in ...

. Following his graduation, he found a position at

Brad Brad may refer to: * Brad (given name), a masculine given name Places * Brad, Hunedoara, a city in Hunedoara County, Romania * Brad, a village in Berești-Bistrița Commune, Bacău County, Romania * Brad, a village in Filipeni, Bacău, Romania * ...

, in the

Țara Moților Țara Moților (german: Motzenland), also known as ''Țara de Piatră'' ("The Stone Land") is an ethnogeographical region of Romania in the Apuseni Mountains, on the upper basin of the Arieș and Crișul Alb River rivers. It covers parts of the ...

area of

Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...

, as a teacher of calligraphy and drawing. Spending three years there, Olinescu became fascinated by the local lifestyle, producing ten engravings centered on the local gold-mining industry. He also drew portraits featuring leaders of the

Transylvanian Revolution of 1848 Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...

, after earlier paintings by

Barbu Iscovescu Barbu may refer to: People * Barbu (name), a list of people with the name and surname ''Barbu'' * Alejandro Barbudo Lorenzo, nicknamed ''Barbu'', Spanish footballer Places * Barbu, Iran, a village in the Bushehr Province of Iran * Barbu, Norway, ...

. In 1925, together with

Dumitru Ghiață Dumitru Ghiață (22 September 1888 – 3 July 1972) was a Romanian landscape painter. He painted still life depictions of flowers and compositions in a simple, direct, sober coloured style, in a synthetic drawing recalling folk traditions ("Pea ...

, he hosted an exhibition of his Țara Moților work at the

Romanian Athenaeum The Romanian Athenaeum ( ro, Ateneul Român) is a concert hall in the center of Bucharest, Romania, and a landmark of the Romanian capital city. Opened in 1888, the ornate, domed, circular building is the city's most prestigious concert hall an ...

, also publishing an album.Gabor, p.867 In 1926, Olinescu went to

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. ...

to teach at A. T. Laurian High School. The following year, he settled at Arad, where he taught drawing at the boys' commercial high school. From 1933 to 1937, he edited the local ''Știrea'' newspaper, while in 1931, he co-founded an artistic society in Arad. Together with other members, who included

Gheorghe Ciuhandu Gheorghe Coriolan Ciuhandu (; born 15 June 1947) is a Romanian politician. A building engineer by profession, he graduated from the Traian Vuia Polytechnic Institute in 1970, earning a doctorate in 1986 and joining the faculty in 1993. He was ...

, he edited the literary and cultural magazine ''Hotarul'', in 24 pages, which first appeared in 1933. Starting in October 1934, he also edited ''Duh'', a magazine focused on art, literary criticism and philosophy. He worked on

Dimitrie Gusti Dimitrie Gusti (; 13 February 1880 – 30 October 1955) was a Romanian sociologist, ethnologist, historian, and voluntarist philosopher; a professor at the University of Iaşi and the University of Bucharest, he served as Romania's Minister of ...

's sociological research teams. Sculpting in an improvised workshop in the courtyard of his school, he executed busts of the local pedagogue Petre Pipoș and of a newspaperman from ''Știrea''. He also produced a bust of 1784 revolutionary Crișan, after a contemporary oil painting; this was placed in Vaca, the revolutionary's native village. While at Arad, he published a volume of verse. He left the city in 1937, teaching in Bucharest between that year and 1958.Olinescu, p.2 Olinescu took part in drawing exhibitions with the ''Grupul Grafic'' society in 1940, 1943 and 1946. His most comprehensive exhibition took place in 1977 at the Romanian Athenaeum; this featured a large number of engravings. The books he illustrated include ''Din țara moților'' (1925), ''Botoșanii care se duc'' (1927), ''Miorița'' (1940), ''Mitologia românească'' (1944), ''Târgoviște de ieri și de azi'' (1976) and ''Peisaje'' (1983). Today, 52 works by Olinescu are held by the Museum of Dacian and Roman Civilization in

Deva Deva may refer to: Entertainment * ''Deva'' (1989 film), a 1989 Kannada film * ''Deva'' (1995 film), a 1995 Tamil film * ''Deva'' (2002 film), a 2002 Bengali film * Deva (2007 Telugu film) * ''Deva'' (2017 film), a 2017 Marathi film * Deva ...

. Most are

woodcut Woodcut is a relief printing technique in printmaking. An artist carves an image into the surface of a block of wood—typically with gouges—leaving the printing parts level with the surface while removing the non-printing parts. Areas that ...

s; the rest,

linocut Linocut, also known as lino print, lino printing or linoleum art, is a printmaking technique, a variant of woodcut in which a sheet of linoleum (sometimes mounted on a wooden block) is used for a relief surface. A design is cut into the linoleum s ...

s.Gabor, p.868

Notes

References

* Camelia Gabor
"Redescoperirea unei personalităţi – Marcel Olinescu"
in ''Sargetia: Acta Musei Devensis'', XXXV-XXXVI, 2007-2008, p. 867-872 *Marcel Olinescu, ''Mitologie românească''. Editura 100+1 Gramar, Bucharest, 2004, {{DEFAULTSORT:Olinescu, Marcel 1896 births 1992 deaths People from Dorohoi Romanian people of German descent Romanian engravers Romanian sculptors Romanian male poets Romanian schoolteachers Romanian newspaper editors 20th-century sculptors 20th-century Romanian poets 20th-century Romanian male writers 20th-century engravers