It makes his return the Romanian artist Camilian Demetrescu, whom the Meeting has confronted for the first time in 1982. An important acquaintance:”My artistic route” writes the painter “has been signed by the impact with the reality of the Meeting”. In Rimini, Demetrescu has come bak to realise exhibitions in 1983, 1985, 1988, in 1994.
This time he brings along his most recent work, an arazzo of large dimensions (4,20mt. of length by 2,50mt. of height) dedicated to Love in the conception of Pre – Socratics, like energy that holds together astral bodies and athoms, the macro – and micro – cosmos, the two poles of Creation. The artist considers this issue fundamental, even more so today, when the world seems to sink in the engulfing of hate and nichilism. The one large tapestry will be sided by two more: “The Verb” and “The New Phoenix”, symbols of Genesis and destruction, of the return to chaos.
Within this space, it will be set an audio – visual presentation point of the work of the artist..
Painter, sculptor, writer and researcher of art history, demetrescu borns in Romania in 1924. Graduate of the Academy in Bucarest, he studies medicine and phylosophy.
Former member of the Romanian Artists Union, he participate to the main exhibitions organised by the State in his country and abroad, and he curries out activities as a writer and art historian on the Romanian press and television. In 1969 he relocates in the West and asks for political asylum in Italy. To heal from the nightmare of the so called socialist realism – imposed by the regime – he passes onto abstractism.
He is invited to the Venice Biannual, at the two Worlds Festival of Spoleto, at the National Arts Quadrennial of Roma. He presents anthological review in Parma, Viterbo, Perugina, and at the National Calkography of Roma. Personal exhibits are dedicated to him inItaly and abroad. In 1977 he restores with his family the ruins of the Roman parish of S.S. Philip and James, dating back to the XI century, reconsacred by Monsignor Ennio Francia, camerlengo of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican.
His art, as his life, suffer a twist. Following up to the meeting in Paris of Mircea Elide, Demetrescu abandons abstractism and dedicates to an art centered on the sacred.
In 1983 he carries out fot the Trappist monastery of Vitorchiano the votive tapestry destined to the beatification of Suor Gabrielle, who offered her life for the unity of churches. In 1985 he realised a large arazzo figuring the “Resurrection of Christ” for the church “Blesses Virgin of Lourdes” in Vercelli. In 1992/93 he executes for the church “Visitation to mary” in Donada two canvasses of large dimensions figuring “The miracle of Saint Francis of Paula on the Po, in 1926” and “The visitation of Mary and Elisabeth”. In 1986 he is invited by the Pontificia Commission for Arts, together with 33 European artists, to illustrate the Divine Comedy, edited by Casa Dante and the Zecca dello Stato, in the widest edition ever printed in Italy. The work was presented in the Vatican museums in the presence of the Holy Father. In 1990 he receives the International prize “Il Labirinto d’argento”, awarded previously, amongst others, to the poet Jorge Luis Borges, to the phylosopher Augusto del Noce, to the thologician Julian Ries. In 1991 he is awarded with the International Prize for Arts “La Leyade” assigned from the Adenauer Foundation and the Camera dei Deputati.
Demetrescu has carried an intense cultural activity that represents the contribution of the orthodox to the rediscovery of the symbol in sacred iconography in the West. In 1997 he publishes by “Il Cerchio” the first volume on “Simbolo nell’arte romanica” (Symbol of Romaic art) by the title “Solstizio Eterno” (Ethernal Solstice), dedicated to the Romanic basiliche in Upper Lazio. In 1978 comes out the second volume “Proverbi di Pietra” (Stone proverbs), on the Romanic cathedrals in Piacenza and Ferrara. It will come out next the third volume, “Soglia del Paradiso” (Threshold to heaven), on the Romanic Longobard in Viterbo and surroundings.
In the 2000 he presents in Bucarest an anthology titled “30 anni d’Arte in Italia” (30 years of arts in Italy), with more than treehundred works of the abstract and figurative period realised in his Italian exile. The 1st december 2000 – national Romanian holiday – the President of the Republic Emil Constantinescu confers to him the highest honour of the Romanian State for “the entirely exceptional contribution to the service for Romanian democracy and culture in the world”. Demetrescu lives and works in Gallese, in the Viterbian province.