In this post I would like to talk about my latest creation for the United Buddy Bears exhibition 2011.
The bear that I created will represent Romania in the exhibition, and in putting it together I leveraged themes from the Romanian folklore. My intent was to bring these themes to life in a modern work of art.
Some key symbolic elements in the painting are:
- The yellow background of the Bear figurine represents the wheat fields of Romania, traditionally considered as one of Europe’s largest grain suppliers.
- The spirals that cover the Bear’s body are a universal symbol of life and in painting them I drew upon the motifs represented in the Cucuteni ceramics
- The hunters with bows and arrows, the hunting dog and the stag are inspired by a royal arm chair that is found inside the Voronet monastery.
- The wild nymphs are fantastic beings whose dance is another theme in the Romanian folklore (Jocul Ielelor).
