THE AMATEUR ART MOUVEMENT AT THE BEGINNING OF CEAUȘESCU’S REGIME. 1965-1971 Cover Image
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THE AMATEUR ART MOUVEMENT AT THE BEGINNING OF CEAUȘESCU’S REGIME. 1965-1971
THE AMATEUR ART MOUVEMENT AT THE BEGINNING OF CEAUȘESCU’S REGIME. 1965-1971

Author(s): Cristian Vasile
Subject(s): History
Published by: Ovidius University Press
Keywords: Amateur art; Nicolae Ceauşescu; non-professional art; people’s culture; communist regime

Summary/Abstract: The paper looks at the various organizational forms preceding the national festival Cântarea României (The Singing of Romania), i.e. choruses, folklore groups, artistic brigades, etc. In the first years of the Ceauşescu regime, the amateur art movement was not a priority to the RCP leadership. However, several legislative projects were initiated by the authorities to give financial support to trade unions’ and students’ artistic brigades, and to various contests and competitions for amateur artists. The year 1968 marked a turning point for the amateur artistic movement. An exacerbation of Ceauşescu’s cult of personality could be noticed. Moreover, opponents to the socialist system were labeled “lunatics” and threatened to be chastised. In Bucharest, approximately 2,000 students, according to some sources, openly proclaimed their Christian beliefs on Christmas Eve, ignoring and even defying the official artistic events organized by the students’ amateur artistic movement on the occasion. In addition, especially starting with the end of December 1968, measures and social and administrative structures were devised by the party and state authorities to encourage mass participation in the amateur artistic movement.

  • Issue Year: 10/2013
  • Issue No: X
  • Page Range: 131-149
  • Page Count: 19
  • Language: English