Romania marks 20 years since anti-communist revolt !

"TIMISOARA, Romania (AP) -- To the strains of strings playing Christmas carols, Romanians paid homage Wednesday to the fighters who took to the streets of this Transylvanian city 20 years ago, sparking the revolution that swept Eastern Europe's most repressive dictator from..... (read more) "

By ALISON MUTLER - Associated Press Writer

The most beautiful places to visit in Romania

An interview with James Rosapepe.

Why travel to Romania ?

"James Rosapepe has served as U.S. Ambassador to Romania during the Clinton administration, between February 4, 1998 to March 1, 2001. In 2001, James Rosapepe was awarded with the National Order "Star of Romania" in rank of GrandCross, by the Romanian President." wikipedia.org

Constantin Brancusi

"Constantin Brancusi was a Romanian sculptor who trained initially as a carpenter and stonemason. He settled in Paris in 1904 where his early influences included African as well as oriental art. Although Rodin was another early influence, Brancusi decided he wished to make much simpler work and began an evolutionary search for pure form. While never entirely rejecting the natural world, Brancusi undoubtedly succeeds in conveying a sense of gravity by reducing his work to a few basic elements. Paradoxically, this process also tends to highlight the complexity of thought that has gone into its making. Witness the studied serenity and distilled eroticism of Sleeping Muse, for example. In contrast to his many polished works in marble and bronze are his roughly hewn works in wood. Brancusi did much to encourage a revival of carving and great respect for an artist's materials. During his later years, he polished the surface of his earlier works. Monumental, subtle and intimate, Brancusi's sculptures are rightly now considered to be the work of a modern master."

From "The A-Z of Art: The World's Greatest and Most Popular Artists and Their Works", by Nicola Hodge and Libby Anson