The historical spaces of the Royal Palace in Bucharest - the royal dining room, the Throne Hall and the Voivodes' Staircase - reopen to the public starting this Wednesday, on the Universal Ia Day, and will stay open for visitors until Sunday, between 11:00 and 17:00 hrs.
The moment of the reopening coincides with the Universal Day of the Romanian Blouse - Ia, that has been celebrated annually since 2013 on June 24, along with the feast of the Romanian fairies Sânziene and St. John the Baptist's Midsummer Feast, thanks to the initiative and efforts of the NGO 'La Blouse Roumaine'.
"Seeking to highlight the connection between the Royal Palace and the traditional garb, Romania's National Museum of Art has invited Nottara Theater actresses Ioana Calota, Creguta Hariton, Daniela Minoiu and Mihaela Subtirica to do a special photo shoot in these historical spaces, dressed in hand-sewn Romanian folk blouses featuring very old models from various regions of the country, made available by the 'La Blouse Roumaine' Association through the 'Bucharest Sewing Bee'. The photos were taken by Madalina Mihai Art Photography," the Nottara Theater informs in a release.
The connections of the Romanian traditional women's blouse with royalty are significant, the statement says.
"Both Queen Elisabeta and Queen Maria loved the Romanian traditional dress and adopted it in their outfits, including at high-rank meetings. The photos with Queen Maria in folk costume are famous, and the royal portraits on display in the room next to the Throne Hall include paintings of the two queens dressed this way. Another important connection is visible in the decoration of the palace, rebuilt by King Carol II and Queen Maria after the fire that destroyed the central body in 1926. Greater Romania was a young state at that time, in search of a national identity, and the folk dress was one of the unifying elements that was also used in the works of art that embellish the palace. Thus, the large-size paintings by Iosif Iser and Rudolf-Schweitzer Cumpana representing women and men in folk costumes sent the important Romanian or foreign guests attending the festivities in the royal dining room a subtle message," states the Nottara Theater.
As they climb the imposing Voivodes' Staircase, the visitors are welcomed at the top by Arthur Verona's "Apotheosis", the ceiling fresco that allegorically represents the Greater Union, with the people in the foreground as a recognition of their role in the construction of the Greater Romania. Other smaller works in the Royal Palace also discreetly convey messages about the importance of the grassroots, by including characters in traditional dress in their compositions.
The Universal Ia Day is marked in 50 countries on 6 continents, and represents a model of cultural diplomacy and citizenship. The NGO 'La Blouse Roumaine' has taken its name from the homonymous painting by French artist Henri Matisse, an admirer of the Romanian traditional women's blouse, who did several works on this subject. Two of them are in the possession of Romania's National Museum of Art.
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