Editorial: Why visit the Brâncusi Ensemble from Târgu Jiu?

Editorial: Why visit the Brâncusi Ensemble from Târgu Jiu?

It is almost an impiety to come to Gorj and not visit the Brâncusian Ensemble from Târgu Jiu... First of all, because it is the only public work (outdoors and permanently open to visitors) of the most important modern sculptor of the 20th century -th, Constantin Brâncuși from Gorje. There are works of his exhibited in important museums in the world, in Europe and America, there are even smaller versions of the "Endless Column", variants of the "Kiss" and the "Table of Silence" at the Pompidou Museum or in private collections, but neither one of these does not convey the emotion and energy of the works from Târgu Jiu.

Passionate about culture and art, or simply a tourist uninitiated in sculpture, approaching Brâncusi's work from Târgu Jiu creates an inexplicable feeling of well-being and, paradoxically, of peace and restlessness at the same time. To understand the path of the "Heroes' Path" you must start visiting the Ensemble from the banks of the Jiu River, looking along the alley that leads from the "Table of Silence", through the "Aleea Scaunelor", to the "Porta Sarutului" and, further, to The "Holy Apostles Peter and Paul" church, only the "Column" remaining hidden from view for the time being, expecting to be discovered later.

Trying to suggest to the visitor to associate each sculpture with a state is risky. Brâncuși himself, when asked what he wanted to convey through his works, answered: "What do you think I wanted to say?". And when the interlocutor explained to him what he felt about his work, Brâncusi confirmed him firmly: "Well done, that's exactly what I wanted to convey!", even if the answers were totally different.

Therefore, we would only dare a few benchmarks:

Meditation on time and its passage in front of the "Table of Silence", admiring the perfection of the hourglass chairs and, further, next to the groups of chairs with the same background, but different in shape;

Love in front of the portal of love and union between man and woman, admiring the symbol of the Kiss, polished to its essence by Brâncusi;

The hope of eternal life and the ascension of the soul to heaven, in front of the "Endless Column." Try to look at the Column from the base to the top and then to the high heaven, feeling all the energy that this "Axis mundi", pillar of eternal life, gives off.

Even if the understanding of Brâncusi's works from Târgu Jiu differs, according to everyone's skill, one thing is certain: the Monumental Ensemble "Calea Eroilor" is the source of a strong attraction and, equally, of a penetrating emotion. Brâncuși, himself, eliminates the controversies generated by the interpretations given to his work: "Don't look for hidden formulas or mysteries, what I give you is pure joy. Look at my sculptures until you see them!'

Ovidiu Popescu