The sculpture and the Volume of the Human Dream

If when we talk about painting we are limited by the two-dimensional space that we conquer by building new dimensions, sculpture is the art that does not limit itself to surfaces, conquering space through three-dimensional forms. One of the oldest forms of art, it has represented since prehistory a means through which humans have expressed their vision of the world. Sculptural art has constantly evolved, from votive statues and bas-reliefs to contemporary sculptural installations adapted to new technologies and cultural contexts.

Despite appearances, sculpture is not a purely decorative art or one that relies exclusively on the representation of reality; rather, it is a way of structuring space and bringing abstract concepts into the real, material plane, often revealing universal truths that would otherwise be intangible. Historically speaking, in Antiquity, sculpture was one of the means of glorifying leaders or gods, later evolving towards well-known religious beliefs, where sculpture reached perfected forms that still awe viewers today. Nowadays, contemporary sculpture is a fertile ground for experimentation and representations that impose a reflection on the human condition, an imperative of our times.

When we discuss sculpture, volume is an essential aspect in understanding the works. Regardless of its monumental or miniature aspect, the viewer must relate to the artwork differently than with other visual works, as volumes redefine space and dictate a dynamic relationship between object, light, and shadow. Moreover, sculpture constantly reinvents itself, surpassing its usual materials of stone, bronze, and wood towards new mediums such as plastic, industrial metal, light, or even recycled and recyclable materials.

For Romanians, February is an especially important month when it comes to culture, and particularly sculpture, as it marks the birth of Romania’s most renowned sculptor, Constantin Brâncuși. Within this commemorative context, Brâncuși manages not only to reaffirm the importance of his works in a global setting but also to remind us how sculpture transcends matter, becoming a form of visual thinking and a bridge between past, present, and future. In this journey of forms, we will explore the conceptual universe of three Romanian sculptors who have left a lasting mark on universal culture: Dimitrie Paciurea, Constantin Brâncuși, and Paul Neagu.

Dimitrie Paciurea – The Sculptor of Dreams and the Fantastic

The beginning of the 20th century is marked by the works of a Romanian sculptor who chose to look beyond reality, drawing inspiration from and incorporating dreamlike elements and features into his sculptures. His chisel ceaselessly carved physical matter, bringing to light not only busts and statues with common themes but also fantastic materializations—the most well-known being The Chimeras, as well as the monumental ensemble The Giants and the Sleeping Nymph, initially intended for Carol I Park in Bucharest, later relocated with the nymph moved to King Michael I Park.

What distinguishes Dimitrie Paciurea in the local artistic landscape of his time is his bold decision not to confine himself to an academic-realist sculptural style but to embrace a symbolist approach, drawing on mythology and exploring fantastic creatures and expressionist forms designed to externalize the inner struggles of modern man. His works combine human and animal elements, creating hybrids that evoke the dream world and the fantastic by accentuating details and textures that acquire a particular dramatic intensity. This technique brings him closer to European Expressionism of the time, while simultaneously distancing him from the simplifying tendencies of Modernism.

What should be remembered from this? Sculptor Dimitrie Paciurea courageously explored the realm beyond reality, establishing himself as a pioneer of Romanian Symbolist sculpture, demonstrating that this art should not only represent reality but also express the artist’s inner world.

Constantin Brâncuși – The Sculptor of Essence and Infinity

The most influential Romanian sculptor on a global scale, considered the father of Romanian sculpture, is Constantin Brâncuși, celebrated on February 19 with great significance throughout the country. Intuitive from the very beginning, Brâncuși’s proposed essentialization broke, on the one hand, with figurative tradition and, on the other, redefined the relationship between object and space. This departure from tradition took place through a technique that emphasized a process of abstraction and simplification, eliminating descriptive details and reducing forms to their geometric essences, achieving a symbol that fuses opposites and essential elements of his works.

Such examples can be observed in all his works, with notable ones being The Endless Column, The Kiss, and Măiastra. All are representative of his vision in which form is reduced to its primary structures, the balance between the geometric and the sensitive being always meticulously preserved. Unlike Paciurea, for example, who emphasized expressionist details, Brâncuși eliminates any superfluous element, allowing pure volumes to directly communicate the essence of things.

In this way, Constantin Brâncuși opened a new path in art, one that would lead to the minimalism and abstraction characteristic of the second half of the 20th century, trends that continue to this day. This reinvention in a personal key, through the purification of forms and the continuous preservation of essences, represents the key that Brâncuși sculpted and with which he opened the doors to a new chapter in international sculptural art.

Paul Neagu – Sculpture as Process and Interaction

Also in February, on the 22nd, sculptor Paul Neagu was born—recognized worldwide as having the greatest impact on sculptural art after Brâncuși. Paul Neagu also introduced a new direction in this art, approaching the conceptual zone and interactive sculpture through modular structures and by involving viewers in the artistic act.

Paul Neagu proposes a dialogue between form and function, his sculptures making a return to symbolism through a geometric lens, with interaction and movement ensuring a vital dynamism for understanding his works. If Brâncuși essentialized form, Neagu draws attention to process and how forms and volumes can generate new visual and tactile experiences.

His experimental technique once again pushes the boundaries of sculpture, creating a tangent with performance art or even installation. A testament to his influence and legacy is Anish Kapoor, one of the most recognized sculptors worldwide today.

Thus, we see how in Romanian sculpture, these three essential names—Dimitrie Paciurea, Constantin Brâncuși, and Paul Neagu—define three fundamental directions in art: the use of symbols and mythology to evoke inner universes, the essentialization of form and the use of pure volumes, and the understanding of sculptural art in a conceptual-interactive context where experimentation and experience can be redefined.

In this way, despite the long-lasting persistence of sculptural works, they stand out not only through three-dimensional representations of reality but also as a means of exploring space, matter, and ideas. These artists, along with many other prominent Romanian sculptors, continuously contribute to the development of European and global sculpture—and today, their influence continues to be felt, their legacy written not only in stone and marble but also in the collective memory of humanity.

Through these contributions, sculpture remains an art of dialogue between the past and the future.

Ph.D. Researcher Andrei FĂȘIE