Geta Brătescu’s 95th Birthday

Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Bucharest-based guest artist Irina Selaru, celebrates multidisciplinary Romanian artist Geta Brătescu on her 95th birthday. Credited as one of the first conceptual artists in Romania, Brătescu rose to international prominence with a series of exhibitions celebrating her prolific career in the 80s.

Georgeta Ann Comanescu was born on this day in 1926, north of the capital city of Bucharest in Ploiești, Romania. She worked as a children’s book illustrator in the 1950s, and later in the decade joined the Union of Fine Artists, a state organization through which she travelled the country to sketch Romanians in their everyday lives. A testament to her talent in design, in the early ‘60s she was named the artistic director of the prestigious literary magazine Secolul 20.

But it was in the studio that Brătescu created much of her best-known work across a variety of mediums, including drawing, photography, film, and collages of commonplace materials. She was known for tackling themes like the relationship between art and life with a characteristic dry humor, though she frequently resisted categorization of her work. In 1978, Brătescu opened up her space and process to the world in one of her most famous works, the meta black-and-white film, “Atelierul” (“The Studio”).

In 2017, at the twilight of her seven-decade-long career, Brătescu was given the honor to represent Romania at the prestigious Venice Biennale, and in the same year she was awarded the Ordinul Naţional “Steaua României” (National Order of the “Star of Romania”), the country’s highest civilian honor. 

Here’s to an artist who refused to color within the lines–happy birthday, Geta Brătescu!

Guest Artist Q&A with Irina Selaru

Today’s Doodle was illustrated by Bucharest-based guest artist Irina Selaru. Below, she shares her thoughts behind the making of this Doodle:

Q. Why was this topic meaningful to you personally?

A. I remember the days when I was in my early years of high school, and we used to go to the art museum to talk about famous artists and eventually draw their masterpieces. One of those artists was Geta Brătescu, and I remember I was fascinated especially by her tapestries. Now that I think about it, I find it incredible the way that memories from our past come to meet us now. I never thought that I could have this great opportunity to create illustrations for some of my favorite Romanian artists.

Q. What were your first thoughts when you were approached about working on this Doodle?

A. I was extremely happy. The Doodles from the homepage always brightened my days, and being able to finally do the same for others was a dream come true.

Q. Did you draw inspiration from anything in particular for this Doodle? 

A. I was mainly inspired by Geta Brătescu's illustrations and the shapes she used. As I was admiring them, they started to look familiar and turn into the shapes I needed to create the "Google'' typography behind her. I also watched some interviews with Geta Brătescu in order to understand the kind of personality she had.

Q. What message do you hope people take away from your Doodle?

A.  I always thought that art should give the viewer a positive feeling. It should make you forget about your daily problems, at least for a while, and make you feel pure joy. I really enjoy it when everyone has their own idea and concept about a piece of art. Therefore, what I would like people to see when they look at my Doodle, would simply be the beauty of having something to call a real passion.