Born in 1970 in Galaţi, Cristina Dimuș graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts within UNARTE Bucharest, majoring in Painting, with a bachelor’s degree (2020) and master’s degree (2022) in the class of Ph.D. professor Marcel Bunea. During her studies, she received merit scholarships, participated in multiple competitions and received various awards and nominations.

When did you feel that you were meant to be an artist?

The CV can sometimes leave out essential parts of your story. Between the year I graduated from the Economic High School in Focșani in 1989 and the moment I started my studies at UNARTE Bucharest in 2017, my life unfolded in a series of experiences not always reflected in official documents. My desire to become a painter was born a long time ago. Since childhood, the access to beautifully illustrated books and stories read by my mother, an educator in my native village, has opened the doors to the fascinating world of drawing, colors, and images. Other artistic lessons came from weaving, skillfully practiced by my grandmothers, great-grandmothers and aunts who created incredible rugs and creative fabrics. I would participate and help prepare the wool, whether it was carding, washing or dyeing.

My artistic roots also extend into the universe of my grandfather, a skilled carpenter with a well-equipped workshop, a place where tools, wood and craftsmanship met to bring objects to life. My father, a turner by trade, gave me another perspective on space, a technical sculptural vision, interpreting technical drawings and materializing them into objects from various materials. After the years of school and attempts to enter UNARTE in ’89 and ’90, life led me to various more prosaic jobs. I worked as a saleswoman, waiter, bartender, seamstress, and manicurist. I followed specialization courses for each of them, always wanting to evolve to enrich my knowledge. I was married and I have a wonderful 28-year-old daughter living in the United States.

At the age of 47, I was accepted at the UNARTE Painting Department – ​​an achievement that confirmed my dream is becoming a reality. The moments of happiness that followed the admission announcement were truly magical because I would explore the art of painting in an academic setting, a dream I had always nurtured in my heart. The moment of admission represented a turning point – I abandoned all other activities, moved to Bucharest and dedicated my entire time to study and school. Financially supported by my parents, I lived and breathed painting for five years. My life is not just about periods on paper; every experience, every job and every learning moment brought something valuable to my journey of becoming a painter.

To what extent did your academic experience help your artistic evolution, especially in developing your style?

My preparation marked the beginning of my academic experience for admission to UNARTE and Professor G. Moscal, a mentor I deeply respect. From him, I absorbed and learned the fundamentals of drawing and painting. During the courses, I had the privilege of learning from an exceptional team of teachers. Among them, I mention the university lecturer Ph.D. A. Tudoran, the distinguished university professor Ph.D. Velescu, and the university professors Ph.D Aslam, Moraru, Dobre, Bunea, and Cojocaru – I am grateful to all of them for the knowledge imparted and their dedication to my training.

The practice carried out in the faculty workshop, together with the colleagues in the group, was an experience that I lived with joy and motivated me substantially. Working in a familiar creation environment and exchanging ideas was essential to my development. I was privileged to observe diverse practical methods and approaches, which brought me profound learning. I was also active in other workshops, visiting colleagues and collecting precious moments with all my colleagues and professors in the faculty. Hard practice in the studio helped me shape and develop my artistic style, learning that, in painting, theory without practice cannot exist. The endless hours spent in the studio were fundamental to my development, representing a valuable investment in my passion and understanding of art.

Please tell me about your artistic practice.

By using multiple techniques, studied, deepened and developed, I create compositions with the theme of the landscape. However, these are not ordinary, romantic or easily recognizable landscapes, which refer to seasons or easily identifiable elements. Instead, I aim to construct works in which composition and chromaticity convey different meanings than traditional ones. The resulting works appear to include monochrome collages, but each element is hand-painted without being glued or printed. Using this technique I developed in the last three years, I managed to redefine the historical concept of the “Landscape” theme.

Under the name of the “FAKE LANDSCAPE” series of recent years, I explore compositional and chromatic solutions that are not based on visual mimicry but on ​​representing personal experience and the subject studied. Each work contributes to the development of a unique aesthetic. Drawing inspiration from established artists in art history (such as Bonnard, Van Gogh, Picasso, and others in terms of color) as well as my own experience, I use photos taken by me that I reinterpret. Finally, the images convey emotions and moods caused by personal experiences, such as sadness, joy, hope or optimism.

How important is it to you to convey a message through your art?

In the current works, I convey the different solutions to a theme that may seem trivial; what I have tried to achieve shows that the means of representation have not been exhausted. There are still different ways to go, and the results for classical themes are becoming significant challenges. It is important to convey this message in my art. The challenge is to do things differently than they have been done before. I constantly propose leaving behind the traditional style of representation. I seek the new (still) by studying the old.

The landscape, a classic theme in art history, has become one of the main themes you approach in your works. When did this topic become enjoyable, and what drives you to explore it further?

The theme addressed for the research of my Master’s thesis was LANDSCAPE. We have found that, throughout art history, this theme has been a central pillar in the practice of artists. I have travelled an exceptionally detailed and intense path to reinterpret this subject in a technical and compositional way different from traditional representations. At the end of my master’s studies, I had completed about 100 papers in this direction. My concept aimed to integrate monochrome architectural elements into chromatic compositions, some easily recognizable. The approach was experienced like moments when, closing my eyes, I remembered fragments of buildings, details, colors and the atmosphere of a particular moment.

For example, during the five years I spent in Bucharest while studying, the train journeys were visually intense. On the train window, the streets and buildings overlapped with my activity in the Bucharest workshop. These images from memory merge with those from the train, two superimposed realities – one present, the other from memory. Thus, I developed my works using strong chromatic intensities and integrating fragments of architectural ensembles. In trying to reproduce in memory the house I live in and the objects used, I found that my memory does not retain images like a camera.

However, this aspect helps me in my compositions, where I use photos that I take and select certain elements, similar to templates (which I have also experienced in tailoring practice). I continue to explore the landscape theme because I feel like I haven’t completely exhausted it. The theme itself is just a pretext. I am constantly developing compositions to create a space, not necessarily a specific place. My goal was to cancel the classical identity of a landscape without framing the works in a preconceived relationship with the real natural space. The notion of landscape is used metaphorically, without references to the seasons, and the chromaticism used has a predominantly technical role. In parallel, I also began to explore the classical theme of the portrait. However, my approach will be non-conventional, far from classical representations.

What are the stages of your creative process, from the idea or source of inspiration to when you are delighted with the result? Do you prefer spontaneity, or do you put more emphasis on research?

An important stage in the creative process is research. I read and study what other contemporary artists from art history have achieved. I can’t say that I get “ideas”, but once the theme, the chromatics, and the dimensions I will work on are established, I go through technical stages. I work in parallel on several canvases. I know what I must do; I think through the stages during the work. Most of the time, I come back over each work on certain portions that do not correspond compositionally or chromatically to the whole work. With the additions of layers, this intervention process is repeated until I “know” the work is ready. Some works I solved in a few days; on others, I resumed work after a few months or 1-2 years.

I don’t have a working formula; it would have been too simple; while working, I research, compare, try, or just look at the work in its current state until I find the solution. About the moment of final touch on a work, when I know that “It’s ready!”, I can say that it’s a great relief, like “a stone is taken from your heart”. This moment is not long-lasting because the following work is being taken care of in various technical stages. Joy quickly fades, and these states repeat themselves.

How much time do you usually spend in the workshop?

During my studies, I stayed in the workshop from morning until dark. I had classes and seminars in my undergraduate degree, and the hours spent in the workshop were different. I also went on weekends when I wasn’t going home, to Focșani. Since I finished university, I set up a workshop at home, where I spent most of my time. I practically live in the workshop. I don’t paint continuously, but I read various art-related articles and publications. I’m also connected online with what’s happening in the art world; I dedicate my life exclusively to this activity I have prepared for.

Once set up in the studio, do you need a certain mood to be able to create, or does inspiration come naturally the moment you start working?

Once installed in the workshop, I know what I have to do. It’s almost a ritual. I prepare the work table, the easel, the canvases, the colors, and the brushes. This is where my mind connects. There are no other thoughts or concerns to distract me. Usually, the workshop is shrouded in complete silence; I rarely listen to music while working. On the days when life brings various turmoils and states, which are otherwise part of the everyday prosaic, I don’t go into the workshop and don’t work. What I do in this space is more than just an activity; it is a moment of encounter with my artistic essence, an almost sacred moment that I live with my whole being.

What time of day do you create best?

There is no favorite time of day. There are too few hours of natural light. I can’t work by the artificial light.

Throughout your studies, you participated in a series of group exhibitions, including the “Contramonument” exhibition at the Jecza Gallery in 2018, and in various artistic competitions that you won, for example, obtaining the “Rembrandt 350” Special Prize offered by the Embassy of the Netherlands in Bucharest, in 2019, or, more recently, the “Mihail Grecu” Award and medal provided by the Ministry of Culture and UAP from the Republic of Moldova, at Saloanele Moldovei, Bacău, 2022. How would you describe these experiences, and how important were they in defining your professional path?

Every selection for participation in exhibitions or competitions was an absolute joy in my artistic path. These beautiful surprises represented the recognition of the efforts made in the workshop. They were the testimony that sustained work and invested passion bring results, strengthening my confidence in my artistic path. Over the years, I have gone through various moments of uncertainty, turmoil, periods of questioning and critical reflection on my creations. These moments, still present at times, are part of my artistic journey. I still have moments like that. However, professional achievements and recognition help me believe I am on the right track. Receiving an award was always an eye-opening moment – ​​I understood that that work stood out as something special in the eyes of the judging panel, giving me a sense of validation and encouragement for my artistic direction.