Queen Maria left us a specific Romanian Art Nouveau style, said on Wednesday, at Casa Darvas La Roche in northwestern Oradea, collector Iulia Gorneanu, on the occasion of the opening of an exhibition dedicated to the memory of Queen Maria, called Vraja Memoriei/The Spell of Memory, with paintings of the sovereign.
The name of the exhibition was inspired by the Diary of Queen Maria, quoted by the director of the Foundation for the Protection of Historical Monuments in Bihor, Angela Lupsea, who appreciated the willingness of the curator Iulia Gorneanu to organize, in a very short time, this exhibition, presenting 113 pieces of collection, vintage jewelry with Celtic elements in display cases and 24 watercolour paintings, creations of Queen Maria.
"Some of the books written by her are on display, and one even displays the autograph of Queen Maria, along with the 24 works in watercolours, absolutely superb, for which she was awarded. The watercolours belong to a private collection, they are not original, but the photographs were made at an exceptional resolution, which allowed a high-quality print. Basically, they seem painted yesterday," Iulia Gorneanu emphasized, Agerpres informs.
Angela Lupsea and Iulia Gorneanu recalled that the legendary sovereign wrote prose, poetry, children's literature, memoirs, newspaper articles, even advertisements for chocolate or dairy products. She painted, drew, decorated interiors and gardens, in 1918 being elected a corresponding member of the Academy of Beaux-Arts in Paris.
"An absolutely remarkable talent (...) combining Celtic elements, with Byzantine elements and traditional Romanian elements. Of course, she came from England, under the sign of the culture of the ancient Celts, but we see that her illustrations contain elements of Romanian and Celtic ornamentation," Iulia Gorneanu said.
In addition to Queen Maria's books published in the interwar period, some with autographs, there are also original stamps and postcards, a pencil and a cigarettes box with a monogram, advertisements that she made during that era.
The exhibition presents, for the first time in Oradea, some objects from the painting workshop of Queen Maria at Pelisor Castle and coins with the face of the Queen Maria and King Ferdinand I from the visit to Oradea in 1919.
Casa Darvas hosts this exhibition for a month, being an event organized to mark the 100th anniversary of the Coronation of the Sovereigns of Romania on October 15, 1922, in Alba Iulia.