Stefan Macovei (born 27 December 1945) is a

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

contemporary Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from about 1945 to the present. In the social sciences, contemporary history is also continuous with, and related t ...

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

Biography

Macovei was born on 27 December 1945 in the village of Neagra, in

Neamț County Neamț County () is a county ( județ) of Romania, in the historic region of Moldavia, with the county seat at Piatra Neamț. The county takes its name from the Neamț River. Demographics Population In 2011, it had a population of 470,766 ...

. Living in a mountainous area where specific tools for working out wood were at hand, he began

wood carving Wood carving (or woodcarving) is a form of woodworking by means of a cutting tool (knife) in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculpture, ...

since his childhood. At the age of 14, he went to

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

to continue his studies, attending the Art High School and then the Faculty of Fine Arts. He received his B.A. Degree in 1968. His aptitudes for expressing his ideas and feelings in drawings which he transposed in 3D pieces of works had made him choose sculpture as his main specialization. He made his apprenticeship and learned the trade of the sculptural monumental art in the studios where the great monuments for the public area were made at that time. In 1973, he moved to the town of

Ploiești Ploiești ( , , ), formerly spelled Ploești, is a Municipiu, city and county seat in Prahova County, Romania. Part of the historical region of Muntenia, it is located north of Bucharest. The area of Ploiești is around , and it borders the Ble ...

, where he opened his own studio making his debut as a sculptor at the biennial exhibitions of the

Prahova county Prahova County () is a county (județ) of Romania, in the Historical regions of Romania, historical region Muntenia, with the capital city at Ploiești. Demographics In 2011, it had a population of 762,886 and the population density was 161/k ...

. From that moment, his creative activity has been an ongoing process. He approached both the figurative and non-figurative styles, he made use of all the expression techniques: he drew, he worked in

clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolinite, ). Most pure clay minerals are white or light-coloured, but natural clays show a variety of colours from impuriti ...

and in gyps, he

cast in bronze Cast may refer to: Music * Cast (band), an English alternative rock band * Cast (Mexican band), a progressive Mexican rock band * The Cast, a Scottish musical duo: Mairi Campbell and Dave Francis * ''Cast'', a 2012 album by Trespassers William ...

, he carved in

wood Wood is a structural tissue/material found as xylem in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulosic fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin t ...

and

stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...

, adapting these techniques to the theme he dealt with. He achieved works of various sizes, ranging from studio works to big monuments erected in the public area. Mention should be made of "The Bust of Nichita Stanescu" (

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...

, Ploiesti), "The Bust of

Constantin Stere Constantin G. Stere or Constantin Sterea (Romanian language, Romanian; , ''Konstantin Yegorovich Stere'' or Константин Георгиевич Стере, ''Konstantin Georgiyevich Stere''; also known under his pen name ''Șărcăleanu''; ...

" ( bronze,

Bucov Bucov () is a commune in Prahova County, Muntenia, Romania, just east of Ploiești, the county seat. It is composed of five villages: Bighilin, Bucov, Chițorani, Pleașa, and Valea Orlei. The commune is located in the south-central part of the c ...

- Prahova), and "The Statue of

Mihai Viteazul Michael the Brave ( or ; 1558 – 9 August 1601), born as Mihai Pătrașcu, was the Prince of Wallachia (as Michael II, 1593–1601), Prince of Moldavia (1600) and ''de facto'' ruler of Transylvania (1599–1600). He is considered one of Rom ...

"-co-author-(bronze, Ploiesti). Beside participating at the theme exhibitions, he worked in a more private environment, achieving his studio works, such as "Torso "–(bronze, private collection-

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

), "Torso"-(wood, private collection –

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

), "The New Crown",(bronze), "Prayer",(bronze). It was this personal area, where, free from the restrictions imposed by external orders, he fully expressed his ideas, feelings and talent. The central message of his art is the achievement of the harmony of the human being with the surrounding nature and the aspiration to a cohabitation of man with all the forms of life on the planet Earth. This cohabitation is considered to be the proper environment of the spiritual evolution of mankind in agreement with the Divine Creator of the Universe. His works are meant to influence people's behavior in such a way.

Artworks

Art camps

* CASOAIA - Arad (1982) - sculptura monumentala: "TORS", piatra (h=3m) * RECI - Covasna (1981) - sculptura: "POMUL VIETII", paitra (h=5m) * Valea Doftanei (1995) - "COMPOZITIE", lemn (h=1,50m)

Works of monumental art

"MONUMENTUL EROILOR" - Aricesti Rahtivani, Prahova * Bust Monumental "NICHITA STANESCU" – Parcul Central, Ploiesti * Monument Funerar "INGER" - Neagra-Neamt * Monument "THEODOR DIAMANT" - Boldesti-Scaieni -co-author * Monument Ecvestru "MIHAI VITEAZUL" - Parcul Mihai Viteazul, Ploiesti -co-author * Bust Monumental "CONSTANTIN STERE" - Parcul C. Stere, Bucov, Prahova * Bust Monumental "Garabet Ibraileanu" -Parcul Bucov, Prahova * Bust Monumental " IOAN ALEXANDRU" - donat Bisericii Sf. Andrei, Ploiesti * Bust "ANTONIE VODA" - Brazi, Prahova * Monument Funerar "GIMNASTA C. SIMIONESCU" - Cimitirul Bellu, Bucuresti * Monument "UNITATE" - Scoala "Sf. Vineri", Ploiesti * Bust "TACHE IONESCU" - Scuar "Biserica Sf. Imparati" - Ploiesti * "GEORGE ENESCU", "NICHITA STANESCU", "

MIHAI EMINESCU Mihai Eminescu (; born Mihail Eminovici; 15 January 1850 – 15 June 1889) was a Romanians, Romanian Romanticism, Romantic poet, novelist, and journalist from Moldavia, generally regarded as the most famous and influential Romanian poet. Emin ...

", "CONSTANTIN BRANCUSI" - Ambasada Romaniei la Helsinki * Bust "IENACHITA VACARESCU" - Cartierul Ienachita Vacarescu, Ploiesti * "TROITA" - donat orasului Breaza * Bust "Arh. Toma T. Socolescu" - Paulesti, Prahova * Bust "Constantin Stere" - Muzeul Ion si Constantin Stere, Bucov * "Portret Suzana Stere-Paleologu" - Muzeul Ion si Constantin Stere, Bucov

Commemorative plaques and bronze effigies

* "YEHUDI MENUHIN", Sinaia * "NICOLAE SIMACHE", Cosminele * " RADU TUDORAN", Blejoi, Prahova * "VASILE PARASCHIV-LUPTATOR ANTICOMUNIST" - efigie, Ploiesti * "IOAN GROSESCU-SCRIITOR SI ZIARIST" - portrait, bas relief * "MUZEUL NICHITA STANESCU", Ploiesti * "BERNARD POULET-ZIARIST FRANCEZ", Ploiesti * "NELU si ION DANIELESCU", Ploiesti * "ION BACIU", Ploiesti * "ION VOINEA", Ploiesti * "ION STRATAN-POET", Ploiesti * "FAMILIA ING. EC. DR. IOAN SI NELY MARZESCU", Ploiesti * "TROFEUL INTERNATIONAL DE POEZIE NICHITA STANESCU", Ploiesti

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Macovei, Stefan 20th-century Romanian sculptors 21st-century Romanian sculptors Romanian woodcarvers Living people 1945 births