A commemorative exhibition of graphic works and paintings by Vasile Cojocaru was mounted at the National Museum of Arts of Moldova. The people of culture attending the event said that Vasile Cojocaru’s works are independent from the Communist regime under which the artist lived and he even treated Romania’s Union with Moldova in uncertain periods for the free expression of the artist, IPN reports.
There were exhibited over 40 graphic works and paintings that form part of the Museum’s heritage. They present scenes of Moldova’s history, rural landscapes and static nature. The artist was one of those who pleaded for Moldova’s Union with Romania through the agency of arts. A representative work is “Căpriana – Putna” in which a column of Moldovans from Căpriana, carrying Moldova’s flags, unites with a row of Romanians from Putna. A number of the graphic works depict the historical character of Ruler Stephan the Great. Vasile Cojocaru’s graphic works were classed as the best in 1997, the artist being named the Graphic Artist of the year in Moldova.
Tudor Zbârnea, director of the National Museum of Arts of Moldova, said the artist dedicated the last years of his life exclusively to painting, being considerably tied to nature and painting those exceptional states of the sunflower. This change of technique reliably conveys the artist’s feelings and emotions after he lost his two sons and his wife in the same period. The Moldovans regrettably didn’t manage to put into practice the idea of the painting “Căpriana-Putna”.
“We, those who knew him, say that he was an extraordinary artist. He was a highly sensitive artist with a special sense of chromatics. His works show disobedience to the ideological censorship,” said Dumitru Bolboceanu, director of the Union of Plastic Artists of Moldova.
Vasile Cojocaru’s works are also popular beyond the Romanian space due to his assiduous work in perfect harmony with his artistic sensitivity. They were awarded at a number of international exhibitions and many of his works form part of private collections in Moldova, Romania, the UK, Canada, Russia, France, Germany, Yugoslavia, Mongolia, Portugal, Spain, the U.S., Turkey. Vasile Cojocaru died on January 2, 2012 in Chisinau.
