- Ion Valentin Anestin
Infobox Artist
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name = Ion Valentin Anestin
imagesize = 170px
caption = Portrait of Anestin, byIosif Iser
birthname =
birthdate =December 24 ,1900
location =Bucharest
deathdate =December 6 ,1963
deathplace =
nationality =Romania n
field = caricature, engraving, painting, sculpting
training =Franz Storck ,Arthur Verona
movement =
works =
patrons =
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awards =Ion Valentin Anestin (
December 24 ,1900 -December 6 ,1963 ) was aRomania n graphic artist, engraver, painter, sculptor, journalist and dramatist. Noted as a caricaturist and art critic, he was the father ofIon Nuni Anestin , himself a visual artist and actor.Biography
Born in
Bucharest to a family originating fromCraiova , he was the son of Theodor Anestin, a draftsman employed by the Bucharest Mayor's Office, and the grandson of Ion Anestin, an actor noted for his friendship with the dramatistIon Luca Caragiale .ro icon [http://infoarte.ro/noutati/Lumea-caricaturii--cu-z%E2mbetul-%EEn-col&%23355%3Bul-gurii-522-2.html Review of "Lumea caricaturii - cu zâmbetul în colţul gurii" ("The World of Caricature - With a Smile in the Corner of the Mouth")] , 2006 exhibit at theNational Museum of Art of Romania (hosted by infoart.ro)] ro icon Mariana Vida, [http://www.zf.ro/articol_90897/un_caricaturist_uitat__ion_valentin_anestin.html "Un caricaturist uitat: Ion Valentin Anestin" ("A Forgotten Caricaturist: Ion Valentin Anestin")] , in "Ziarul Financiar ",August 4 ,2006 ] One of his uncles, Victor, was an astronomer, and another, Alexandru, a journalist. In 1918-1920, he attended the Bucharest Fine Arts Academy, where he was taught by the sculptorFranz Storck , and then moved on to the Free Art Academy, founded by painterArthur Verona .After 1921, Anestin became a theater and art gallery chronicler, while authoring various theater plays. It was during the period that he also became noted for his satirical cartoons and portraits, heavily influenced by the French school of drawing. Together with writer
Mircea Eliade , Ion Valentin Anestin published the magazine "Est-Vest", which was established in 1927 and ceased its existence after only a couple of issues. [Mircea Eliade , "Autobiography",University of Chicago Press ,Chicago , 1990, ISBN 0226204073, p.130]In 1928, he joined
Vladimir Donescu on the staff of "Vremea ", editing its theater and art page between 1931 and 1943, while being responsible for the journal's graphic design.ro icon Paula Romanescu, [http://www.vmr.ro/pg12-3806.htm "Ion Ion la Palat" ("Ion Ion at the Royal Palace")] , in "Viaţa Medicală", nr.38,September 22 ,2006 ] In parallel, Anestin contributed to a large number of newspapers and magazines (including "Epoca", "Adevărul Literar şi Artistic ", "Timpul ", "Gluma", "Cuvântul Liber", and theRomanian Communist Party 's "Bluze Albastre"), and became a trend-setter in graphic art for the entireinterwar period . Noted for hisleft-wing convictions, he drew individual and group satirical portraits of major figures of his day, both Romanian (Nicolae Titulescu ,Alexandru Averescu ,Lucian Blaga ,Ion Inculeţ ,Ion Mihalache ,Iuliu Maniu ,Gheorghe Tătărescu ,Octavian Goga ) and foreign (Adolf Hitler ,Benito Mussolini , andJoseph Stalin ). Additionally, Anestin was known for his original creation, the character Ion Ion, a staple of his work during the 1930s. Ion Ion was depicted as a young man with atop hat or abowler hat , carrying an umbrella, but having no shirt and trousers.During
World War II , beginning a month before theSoviet occupation of Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina and continuing throughout Romania's alliance with theAxis Powers ("seeRomania during World War II "), Anestin's work centered on denouncing Stalin and theSoviet Union , in a series titled "Măcelarul din Piaţa Roşie" ("TheRed Square Butcher") published by the magazine "Gluma".ro icon Raluca Alexandrescu, [http://www.observatorcultural.ro/informatiiarticol.phtml?xid=4144 "Mai multe începuturi de drum" ("Several Road Starts")] , interview with Ioana Zlotescu, in "Observator Cultural "] ro icon Nicole Sima, [http://atelier.liternet.ro/arhiva/933/Nicole-Sima/Cred-in-Mos-Craciun.html "Cred în Moş Crăciun!" ("I Believe in Santa Claus!"), memoir hosted by LiterNet] ] Following the start of Soviet occupation, the artist was barred from publishing for a five-year period (1944-1949), and ultimately imprisoned. He died soon after his release.References
External links
*ro icon [http://www.b24fun.ro/?c=64&evt=3326 Chronicle of the 2006 exhibit, in "B24 Fun"]
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