|
Vida, Gheza
(b Baia Mare, 28 Feb 1913; d Baia Mare, 11 May 1980). Romanian sculptor. From childhood he was attracted to wood-carving, and from 1928 to 1931 he was self-taught. He then studied (1931–5) under the painter Sándor Ziffer (1880–1962). Vida made his début in 1937 at the Expozitia artistilor baimareni (exhibition of the artists of Baia Mare), with works carved in wood, including Mineri (h. 500 mm; Cluj-Napoca, priv. col.) and Peasant Tied to the Stake (h. 500 mm; Bucharest, priv. col.); these were further to inspire him in his researches into the mining communities of Maramures Province and their myths and rites. In 1938–9 he participated in the Spanish Civil War as a volunteer with the International Brigades attached to the Republican army. While interned in the camps at Saint-Cyprien and Gurs in France (1939–41), he made a series of linocuts based on life in the camp. After returning to Baia Mare, he studied at the Art Academy in Budapest (1942–4) under Jenö Bori. His sculptures from this period, all in wood, include A Child Eating (400*350 mm, 1942; Iasi, priv. col., see Mihalache, p. 16) and Dancer (450*250 mm, 1943; Bucharest, City Council): these were made in a vigorous, almost primitive manner, with expressive chisel marks. His next works (from 1947) were larger and more dynamic (e.g. Alpenhorn Blower (1.28*1.33 m, 1947; Cluj-Napoca, Mus. A.) and were unaffected by the dogmatism of Socialist Realism, unlike such later works as The Rest (420*880 mm, 1957; Bucharest, N. Mus. A.) and Village Carnival (2.52*0.80 m, 1963; Baia Mare, Maramures Distr. Mus.). In 1970–73 Vida created a number of works, including Rain (h. 2.3 m; Baia Mare, Maramures Distr. Mus.), the Peasants’ Monument (1972) at Mosei, Maramures province, and a series of totem-poles that conveyed his fascination with the cultures of the Pacific Islands and American Indians.
|
