Anniversary exhibition inaugurated at National Art Museum of Moldova

The National Art Museum of Moldova has hosted the opening of the anniversary exhibition “Fulgere,” (Flashes), dedicated to the 80th birthday of painter Gheorghe Oprea. Appreciated for his deep roots in national culture, the master managed to captivate the public with paintings inspired by the patterns of old Bessarabian carpets.

The author of the exhibition, Gheorghe Oprea, believes that art should be present in each home, and through the exhibition, Flashes, he seeks to show the beautiful side of the world.

“I would like our arts, not only painting, in their full artistic dimension, to be present in our space, in every home, in every family, at every level. I have always been inspired by the exhibitions that now appear without me. Long ago I was the one making them and I was trying to detach the plastic component from socialist realism, to make it more modernist, to move it closer to Romanian painting, to European, Impressionist, French painting, because at that time I wasn’t allowed to do so,” visual artist Gheorghe Oprea told MOLDPRES.

The event brought together visual artists, art critics, friends and the master’s family. Visual artist Vasile Dohotaru highlighted the stylistic evolution of the painter, recalling his early works inspired by motifs from centuries-old carpets. According to him, Gheorghe Oprea is the first artist who managed to transform the decorative space of the carpet into a universal monumentality.

“A light has emerged out of all his experience with decorative spaces... I remember his first works, with the imitation of the Bessarabian carpet from 400 years ago. And here you can see that a monumentality has appeared that no one else has,” painter Vasile Dohotaru told MOLDPRES.

The public especially appreciated the “stairs” and the “beiges in squares,” symbolic elements present in his work, which create a link between his origins in the north of the country (Edinet) and modern European art.

Florina Breazu, president of the Union of Visual Artists of Moldova, emphasized in her speech the artist’s deep connection with national identity. She noted that Gheorghe Oprea, as a disciple of master Mihai Grecu, succeeded in reinterpreting forms of folk culture in his own manner.

“Mr. Oprea has deep roots in our national culture, in tradition; he pursues an interpretation of the forms and traditions of folk culture, but he goes further, cancels tridimensional space and creates that playful, ludic element of the game on the surface of the canvas,” said Florina Breazu.

At the opening, the Union of Fine Artists of Moldova presented Gheorghe Oprea with an award for his contribution to the development of the visual arts.

“His spirit remains young and prolific, regardless of age,” said Florina Breazu, underlining the artist’s cultural impact on new generations.

Gheorghe Oprea is a painter from Tarnova, Edinet district, Moldova, who studied fine arts in Chisinau and Moscow and worked for many years at the National Art Museum of Moldova, where he organized numerous exhibitions. In his creation, he explores more artistic styles and produces works inspired by the rural environment, Moldovan traditions and portraits of cultural figures. His works have been exhibited in more countries and can be found in collections of Moldova and from abroad. For his activity, Oprea has received numerous awards and the honorary title of Master of Art.