The Sculptural Ensemble of Constantin Brâncuși at Târgu Jiu () is an homage to the

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 heroes of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The ensemble comprises three sculptures: ''The Table of Silence'' (''Masa tăcerii''), ''The Gate of the Kiss'' (''Poarta sărutului'') and the ''Endless Column,'' (''Coloana fără sfârșit'') on an axis 1.3 km ( mile) long, oriented west to east. The ensemble is considered to be one of the great works of 20th-century outdoor sculpture.

History

The monument was commissioned by the ''National League of Gorj Women'' to honor those soldiers who had defended

Târgu Jiu Târgu Jiu () is the capital of Gorj County in the Oltenia region of Romania. It is situated on the Southern Sub-Carpathians, on the banks of the river Jiu. Eight localities are administered by the city: Bârsești, Drăgoieni, Iezureni, Polata, ...

in 1916 from the forces of the

Central Powers The Central Powers, also known as the Central Empires,german: Mittelmächte; hu, Központi hatalmak; tr, İttifak Devletleri / ; bg, Централни сили, translit=Tsentralni sili was one of the two main coalitions that fought in ...

Constantin Brâncuși Constantin Brâncuși (; February 19, 1876 – March 16, 1957) was a Romanian Sculpture, sculptor, painter and photographer who made his career in France. Considered one of the most influential sculptors of the 20th-century and a pioneer of ...

(1876–1957) was at the time living in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, but welcomed the opportunity to create a large commemorative sculpture in his homeland. He accepted the commission in 1935, but refused to receive payment for it.

''Endless Column''

The ''Endless Column'' symbolizes the concept of infinity and the infinite sacrifice of the Romanian soldiers. The ''Endless Column'' stacks 15 rhomboidal modules, with a half-unit at the top and bottom, making a total of 16. The incomplete top unit is thought to be the element that expresses the concept of the infinite. Brâncuși had experimented with this form as early as 1918, with an oak version now found in the collection of the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. The modules were made in the central workshop of

Petroșani Petroșani (; Hungarian: ''Petrozsény''; German: ''Petroschen'') is a city in Hunedoara County, Transylvania, Romania, with a population of 34,331 (2011). The city has been associated with mining since the 19th century. History "Pietros" means ...

(''Atelierele Centrale Petroșani''), assembled by Brâncuși's friend engineer Ștefan Georgescu-Gorjan (1905–1985), and completed on 27 October 1938. All 16 rhomboidal modules accumulate a total height of 29.3 m. In the 1950s, the Romanian

communist government A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state that is administered and governed by a communist party guided by Marxism–Leninism. Marxism–Leninism was the state ideology of the Soviet Union, the Comint ...

planned to demolish the column and turn it into scrap metal, but this plan was never executed. After the

Romanian Revolution of 1989 The Romanian Revolution ( ro, Revoluția Română), also known as the Christmas Revolution ( ro, Revoluția de Crăciun), was a period of violent civil unrest in Romania during December 1989 as a part of the Revolutions of 1989 that occurred i ...

and the fall of the Communist regime, there was renewed interest in restoring the column, which by that time suffered from tilting, cracking, metal

corrosion Corrosion is a natural process that converts a refined metal into a more chemically stable oxide. It is the gradual deterioration of materials (usually a metal) by chemical or electrochemical reaction with their environment. Corrosion engine ...

, and an unstable foundation. For these reasons the site was listed in the

1996 World Monuments Watch The World Monuments Watch is a flagship advocacy program of the New York-based private non-profit organization World Monuments Fund (WMF) and American Express American Express Company (Amex) is an American multinational corporation specialized ...

by the

World Monuments Fund World Monuments Fund (WMF) is a private, international, non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of historic architecture and cultural heritage sites around the world through fieldwork, advocacy, grantmaking, education, and trainin ...

. The restoration was facilitated by the Fund, which organized meetings for the stakeholders in 1998 and provided funding through

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. Subsequently, the site was restored between 1998 and 2000 through a collaborative effort of the Romanian Government, the World Monuments Fund, the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Interna ...

, and other Romanian and international groups.

''Ensemble''

Two other pieces constitute the ''Ensemble''. ''The Table of Silence'' is a circular stone table surrounded by twelve hourglass-seats, which symbolize time. The significance of Brâncuși's sculpture has been subjected to many interpretations. Some say that ''The Table of Silence'' represents the moment before the battle. Nevertheless, the seats are not located close to the edges of the table. Other say that it represents The Last Supper, in which the twelve apostles are seated around Jesus. The chairs are for the apostles and the table represents Jesus himself. ''The Gate of the Kiss'', of Banpotoc

travertine Travertine ( ) is a form of terrestrial limestone deposited around mineral springs, especially hot springs. It often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, cream-colored, and even rusty varieties. It is formed by a pro ...

(marble), features two kiss motifs on the pillars. The entire gate has a width of 6.45 m and a height of 5.13 m. The transition to another life occurs through ''The Gate of the Kiss''. The ''Ensemble'' was inaugurated on 27 October 1938. During the

Socialist Realism Socialist realism is a style of idealized realistic art that was developed in the Soviet Union and was the official style in that country between 1932 and 1988, as well as in other socialist countries after World War II. Socialist realism is ch ...

epoch, Brâncuși was challenged as an exponent of "cosmopolitan bourgeois formalism". However in 1964, Brâncuși was rediscovered in Romania as a national genius and consequently the ''Ensemble of Târgu Jiu'' was restored from a long period of degradation.

Gallery

File:RO GJ Targu jiu Coloana Infinitului (9).JPG File:RO GJ Tg Jiu Endless Column park.jpg File:Coloana fără sfârșit.JPG File:Masa tăcerii.JPG File:Monumentul Întregirii Neamului - Constantin Brâncuși (28718808242).jpg

References

External links