1990-1996
The years of repeated attempts to pass the entrance exam at the Academy of Arts directed me towards new forms of expression. After 1989, when the private universities were founded, I decided it was time for “something else”. Although I’d given up on being admitted to the Academy of Arts, I wished to learn, to give myself wholly to my studio work. I realized that I had to ignore the Classical studies that were required for admission to the Academy, and I began to rediscover myself, to re-educate my mind, my gaze and my hand. To get rid of the old patterns, I was drawing model studies with my left hand, but I was also approaching themes that were considered difficult.
I began to see the new facets of art, by referencing international contemporary art. Specialized books, art albums and the contact with France and Germany provided the necessary connection to the contemporary art world.
At the “Luceafărul” Academy, I discovered interesting colleagues of various ages and from different backgrounds, with whom I got along very well. But the most significant “gain” was the approach to art as understood and transmitted by my professor, Teodor Moraru. The studio was everything to me: study, painting, experimental collage, long talks, books read and discussed.
After 1994, at the Galla Gallery, I had the opportunity to stand alongside names such as Horia Bernea, Neculai Păduraru, Ion Bitzan or Marin Gherasim, which gave me a boost of confidence and the desire to work even more. During the same time, I “extended” my workshop to my home, as I was feeling the need to carve my own path.
The six years of study were decisive for my artistic formation, and I often miss this wonderful period.
Beti Vervega