Milița Petrașcu, also known as Militza Pătrascu (31 December 1892 25 January 1976), was a Romanian portrait artist and sculptor, part of the Romanian "avant-garde movement" during the interwar period which evolved around the "

Contimporanul ''Contimporanul'' (antiquated spelling of the Romanian word for "the Contemporary", singular masculine form) was a Romanian (initially a weekly and later a monthly) avant-garde literary and art magazine, published in Bucharest between June 1922 ...

" magazine. Petrașcu is widely considered as the most talented Romanian woman sculptor of the 20th century.

Biography

Petrașcu was born on 31 December 1892 in

Chișinău Chișinău ( , , ; formerly known as Kishinev) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Moldova, largest city of Moldova. The city is Moldova's main industrial and commercial centre, and is located in the middle of the coun ...

under the name Melania Nicolaevici. She spent her childhood in

Nisporeni Nisporeni () is a town in Moldova and the administrative center of Nisporeni District. History The first historical appearance was in 1618. The Romanian People's Salvation Cross, the largest cross in Moldova, was built in 2011 in Nisporeni. D ...

where she first started sculpting in clay. After attending school in Chișinău, she enrolled as a student at the Moscow State Academy of Industrial and Applied Arts, where she studied sculpture under professors Konenkov and Dzyubanov (19071908). In 1909, Petrașcu studied philosophy at the Bestuzhev Institute (otherwise known as the

Bestuzhev Courses The Bestuzhev Courses () in Saint Petersburg were the largest and most prominent women's higher education institution in Imperial Russia. The institute opened its doors in 1878. It was named after Konstantin Bestuzhev-Ryumin, the first director ...

) after which she travelled to Munich and enrolled at the

Munich Academy of Fine Arts The Academy of Fine Arts, Munich (, also known as Munich Academy) is one of the oldest and most significant art academies in Germany. It is located in the Maxvorstadt district of Munich, in Bavaria, Germany. In the second half of the 19th centur ...

in 1910. At the Munich Academy, she worked under the direction of leading Avantgarde artists such as

Wassily Kandinsky Wassily Wassilyevich Kandinsky ( – 13 December 1944) was a Russian painter and art theorist. Kandinsky is generally credited as one of the pioneers of abstract art, abstraction in western art. Born in Moscow, he spent his childhood in ...

and

Alexej von Jawlensky Alexej Georgewitsch von Jawlensky (; 13 March 1864 – 15 March 1941), surname also spelt as Yavlensky, was a Russian expressionist painter active in Germany. He was a key member of the New Munich Artist's Association ( Neue Künstlervereinigung ...

and came into contact with the creative team of the " Jugend" magazine. After her stay in Munich, Petrașcu spent several years in Paris working in the studios of

Henri Matisse Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (; 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French visual arts, visual artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a drawing, draughtsman, printmaking, printmaker, ...

and

Antoine Bourdelle Antoine Bourdelle (; 30 October 1861 – 1 October 1929), born Émile Antoine Bordelles, was an influential and prolific French sculptor and teacher. He was a student of Auguste Rodin, a teacher of Giacometti and Henri Matisse, and an important ...

(19101914). In 1919, she exhibited a bust at the Salon des Indépendents and met

Constantin Brâncuși Constantin Brâncuși (; February 19, 1876 – March 16, 1957) was a Romanian 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 modernism ...

who was to become her mentor and guide in the world of modern sculpture. Brâncuși's influence can be seen throughout Petrașcu's works. At an exhibit of her works at a Paris gallery in 1927, Brâncuși told her, "You have worked enormously and at least three of your works are exceptional"; it is said he also exclaimed, "You are stronger than

Rodin François Auguste René Rodin (; ; 12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a u ...

In 1925, she married Emil Petrașcu and settled in

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 ...

. There, she joined the avantgarde movement around the "Contimporanul", "Grupul nostru" and "Criterion" magazines. In 1936 she designed the , located in

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

's Prefecture Square. She worked it in

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 rusty varieties. It is formed by a process ...

brought from Italy and in the form of a

sarcophagus A sarcophagus (: sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a coffin, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Greek language, Greek wikt:σάρξ, σάρξ ...

with

bas-reliefs Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...

illustrating scenes from

Ecaterina Teodoroiu Ecaterina Teodoroiu (; formal rendition of Cătălina Toderoiu; 14 January 1894 – 3 September 1917) was a Romanians, Romanian woman who fought on the front and died in World War I, and is regarded as a heroine of Romania. A Cercetaşii Românie ...

's life, as a child, as a scout, in war, and in her death. Petrașcu died in 1976 in Bucharest and was buried in the city's

Bellu Cemetery Șerban Vodă Cemetery (commonly known as Bellu Cemetery) is the largest and most famous cemetery in Bucharest, Romania. It is located on a plot of land donated to the local administration by Baron Barbu Bellu. It has been in use since 1858. T ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Petrascu, Milita 1892 births 1976 deaths Artists from Chișinău Academy of Fine Arts, Munich alumni Romanian avant-garde 20th-century Romanian sculptors 20th-century Romanian women sculptors Burials at Bellu Cemetery Stroganov Moscow State Academy of Arts and Industry alumni 20th-century Romanian painters 20th-century Romanian women painters