National decorative art

Professional ceramics fully assimilated the traditions of folk art with its visions on the world and its interpretation. At the same time, during the last decades of the 20th century-beginning of the 21st century, ceramics, like all other arts of Moldova was searching for new ideas, technologies, was trying to renew and review the principles of art. From the middle of the 50ies of the past century until today we may notice a rather complicated evolution of ceramics as a phenomenon. This process developed due to a rich exchange of ideas, conceptions, and trends among all former URSSR republics. This fact contributed to the formation and evolution of our culture.

The formation of the museum collection begins in the early 50ies when National Art Museum acquires works of F. Bespoiasnii and T. Canash. Ceramics in this period is represented also by a range of ceramists of the older generation: V. Poleakova, V. Neceaeva, S. Ciokolov, I. Postolachi.

The works of E. Grecu are a significant stage in the evolution of ceramics at the beginning and middle of the 60ies. She creates utilitarian ceramics but also explores the art of decorative ceramics by covering the surface of the vases with structural elements.

During the 70ies-80ies besides the classical forms of traditional ceramics there appear forms that do not have a correct construction and only imitate the logics of the natural formation. The artists often reproduce some organisms, flowers, marine animals like in the composition “Sea gifts” (1980) made by T. Grecu-Peiceva.

In this period the ceramics gets a plastic and semantic independence. B. Epelbaum-Marcenko, N. Sajina, L. Iantsen, S. Pasecinaia were the initiators of the pictorial-sculptural trends in the contemporary Moldavian ceramics. By means of decorative form with its rich associative means the artists promote esthetical ideas. While searching a personal stylistics the artists apply, from one hand, to the models of the past and from the other one, they assimilate the modern achievements in the sphere of international ceramics.

Substantial decorativism is one of the main peculiarities of the ceramics from the last decades. The figurative language of V. Bolboceanu influences emotionally the viewer through the plasticity of form, harmony of color thus giving birth to certain associations.

The development of modern decorative art is tightly linked especially with the embellishment of the administrative and cultural buildings. This phenomenon made gobelins become very popular. Their thematic diversity and compositional plasticity offered artists huge opportunities for creation.

E. Rotaru, M. Saca-Racila, S. Vranceanu, C. Golovina are the ones who made the “Moldavian carpet” famous far over the borders of our country. Due to their talent, authentic decorative skill, inborn sense of color the expression “Moldavian tapestry school” was introduced into the international specialized press.

The museum has over 2600 works.