In Search of Spirituality: Modernist Utopias â between Philosophy, Religion and Science in Romanian Art during Communism

Ileana Pintilie

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Chapter 9 In Search of Spirituality: Modernist Utopias â between Philosophy, Religion and Science in Romanian Art during Communism

In: Enchanted Socialist Modernity

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Ileana Pintilie

Ileana Pintilie
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Type:: Chapter

Pages:: 223â247

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004747470_011

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Abstract

The ever-changing political situation in Romania over the decades generated a state of uncertainty, which was directly reflected in the cultural milieu and artistic creation. The need for spirituality to oppose empty materialism and the lack of opportunity caused by ideological pressure led several artists to seek means of escape from this reality and find forms of resistance, which they expressed through their art. The article examines this topic chronologically, through the decades, because the political context generated essential transformations in society at large and in the evolution of several important artistsâ oeuvres. Some visual artists became spiritual examples for their peers. Of those, only the work of Paul Gherasim, Horia Bernea, Paul Neagu, and Ètefan Bertalan will be discussed, as well as some groups of artists like Andreescu, Sigma, and Prolog, which enabled the membersâ activity to gain more influence with a coherent artistic project. An attempt was made here to capture the search for very diverse forms of spirituality in Romanian society, highlighting some of the books that significantly impacted the minds of intellectuals of that time. In conclusion, the ideological pressure and materialist orientation of the time caused rejection and generated various spiritual explorations which enabled artists to successfully escape from the reality in which they found themselves.

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Enchanted Socialist Modernity

Art of Central and Eastern Europe (1945â1989) in the Face of Alternative Spirituality

Series:Â Aries Book Series, Volume: 41

E-Book ISBN:: 9789004747470

Publisher:: Brill

Print Publication Date:: 01 Dec 2025

Subjects
- Philosophy
  - Philosophy of Religion
- Religious Studies
  - Sociology of Religion
  - Religion and the Arts

Front Matter

Part 1 Persisting Spiritual Traditions in Times of Political Ruptures

Part 2 Utopias between Social Experiment and Esotericism

Part 3 Art as a Spiritual Practice

Part 4 From Spiritual Counter-modernism to the Neo-avant-garde

Part 5 Towards Capitalist Esotericism

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African Studies	Education	Media Studies
American Studies	History	Middle East and Islamic Studies
Ancient Near East and Egypt	Human Rights and Humanitarian Law	Musicology
Art History	International Law	Philosophy
Asian Studies	International Relations	Religious Studies
Biblical Studies	Jewish Studies	Slavic and Eurasian Studies
Biology	Languages and Linguistics	Social Sciences
Book History and Cartography	Life Sciences	Theology and World Christianity
Classical Studies	Literature and Cultural Studies

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Chapter 9 In Search of Spirituality: Modernist Utopias â between Philosophy, Religion and Science in Romanian Art during Communism

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Enchanted Socialist Modernity

Art of Central and Eastern Europe (1945â1989) in the Face of Alternative Spirituality

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Chapter 9 In Search of Spirituality: Modernist Utopias â between Philosophy, Religion and Science in Romanian Art during Communism

Art of Central and Eastern Europe (1945â1989) in the Face of Alternative Spirituality