Un album cu schițe de ex-libris-uri al lui Traian Achim (1885-1945), repus în discuție (I)
An Album with Ex Libris Sketches Made by Traian Achim (1885-1945), Revisited

Summary/Abstract: The study draws attention to a graphic, original Album made by Traian Achim (1885-1945), bibliographically noticed in 2008. Traian Achim graduated Belle Arte Faculty of the University from Bucharest, Decorative arts department, as highly appreciated student of Costin Petrescu (1872-1954), in 1919. He was a student of the painting school from Baia Mare between 1919 and 1921, with some interruptions. Between 1920 and 1945, he activated as a teacher of art and engineering drawing, as well as calligraphy at Mihai Viteazul Secondary School from Alba Iulia, professing at the same time easel and mural painting (as a painter of more Churches, mainly from the area of Alba County, of which distinguishes the Coronation Cathedral, at the painting of which worked in the team of Costin Petrescu, in 1921-1922). He had built up an impressive personal library, of more than 2500 copies (in our own current opinion), at the same time, being an authentic bibliophile, devoted to first editions or revised, even old Romanian book. He also wished always to purchase books contemporary with him (he always wanted to be updated with editorial releases from different fields of knowledge, even from abroad), by the fact that himself made leather bookbindings for some volumes, as well as a series of graphic, original ex libris, for some of them making also stamping negatives, which he frequently applied on books (as distinctive ownership marks). He gifted the military doctor Nicolae Igna (1899-1961) – meanwhile general –, another bibliophile from Alba Iulia and collector fond of graphic ex libris, with at least two ex libris, made by himself, that by exchange reached different European collections of this type. Currently, we propose cataloguing and editing, as images of intrinsic artistic value, for the first time (the case of more), of a part of his ex libris sketches from the content of the mentioned Album, with some comments (historical, biographic, aesthetic-artistic), which we can make on them, at the current level of documentation. Although, some disparities exist on doing these small graphic works, mainly due to the fact that were not dated, only 6 of them (even these indirectly) by their artistic interpretation we attempt to may establish them also a quite reasonable dating, which is a documentary contribution to better knowing the artistic biography of the mentioned one, of his creative universe (interesting in any case).

• Details
• Contents