Fin De Siècle Biographies: Alexandru Bogdan-Piteşti
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Abstract: The subject of this article is life of Alexandru Bogdan-Piteşti, the first Romanian modern art collector, analysed in decadent context. FIN DE SIÈCLE BIOGRAPHIES: ALEXANDRU BOGDAN-PITEŞTI The evolution of historical context, the political changings during XIXth century, and birth of the modern state impacted on Romanian society which wanted to harmonize its educational system and values of civilization to Western world.1 Even after the first universities were established, on Western-european models, the intellectual and artistic elite continued Corina Teacă to study in universities and academies abroad, above all in France, but also in Germany, Italy or Switzerland. For Theodor Cornel4 (1874-1911) – who Romania, France was not a simply political elaborated one of most interesting ally but also a source of inspiration for its biographies – created the portrait of a entire modern culture. At the end of XIXth totally non-conformist individual: La vie de century the most advanced ideas in arts, M. Bogdan-Piteşti est justement [...] la theatre, poetry and philosophy became contradiction de l’utile, respectable et familiar ground for the Romanian elite vieille bonne habitude qu’ont les familles educated abroad that assumed western roumaines de s’élever et de se maintenir au values and attempted to transform the niveau des professions d’Etat. [...]. Un tel ambiance of their native country. homme est intéressant, sourtout chez nous, et à certain points de vue il convient qu’on *** le suivre de près sa vie, car même en The life of the art collector Alexandru admettant en ce qui le concerne que M. Bogdan-Piteşti (Piteşti, July 13th 1871- Bogdan n’a pas encore dans son passé une Bucharest, May 12th1922), presented in the œuvre bien accomplie, il n’est pas moins dictionary Figuri Contimporane din vrai que sa vie resemble par plus d’un côté România,2 kept the public attention for à l’existence agitée, tumultueuse et parfois several decades. The ingredients of his life tragique de tous ceux qui, plus ou moins recommanded him as a product of decadent précurseurs, ont signifié quelque chose sur culture. At the origins of his legend that quelque point du monde.5 perpetuated over generations was an It looks appropriate to suppose that B.- excentric vision of life and taste of self P. agreed with the content of this panegyric display. Along with politics and literature, the more these pages were written by a art was the favourite background of his friend.6 In regular circumstances the text performance; starting with the final years of would have an objective value. But the the XIXth century Al. B.-P. was constantly contributor’s literary style and his connected to literature and arts as collector, deliberate lack of precision in information, co-organizer of the Secessionist exhibition possibly imposed or asked by B.-P. himself, Ileana3 (1898), art critic, poet and journalist turned the habitual presentation into a and, not least, as friend of many Romanian subjective portrait. In this characterization artists and writers. some biographical details such as those REV. ROUM. HIST. ART, Série BEAUX-ARTS, TOME XLVIII, P. 51–58, BUCAREST, 2011 51 related to educational background remain self-building process that began in Geneve, uncertain, thus giving way to speculations. Switzerland, where the young B.-P. For obscure reasons a heavy silence converted to Catholicism. Whatever the surrounds his childhood and adolescence. motivation of his conversion, that event Apparently he spent a few years in was the first (and successful) attempt to Switzerland where he completed his detach from tradition, deny it; in the further education. Then he decided to move out to years a complete new man was shaped. Paris where he lived until 1894 when a Geneve also was an important centre for the political scandal and his links to anarchist development of anarchist movement, and circles drew his expulsion from France. it’s nothing unusual in searching the Self-taught or formal educated? Nothing company of people with similar views in testifies his enrolment in a French or Paris. The links to this medium eventually Swiss university although there are a few could explain his vision on sexuality and a hypotheses in this sense.7 La vie de part of the options he took.9 The life in M. Bogdan-Piteşti est justement [...] la Paris allowed him to reflect and construct contradiction de l’utile... wrote Th. Cornel his own human ideal. In Cornel’s article, at the begining of XXth century suggesting the names of many great French writers like a constant oposition to every form of Paul Verlaine, Maurice Barrés, Laurent authority. The French ambience could be Tailhade, J.-K. Huysmans, Joséphin Péladan, considered as a true birth place where his etc. were given as social and (perhaps) personality, rebel views and sense of drama professional connections or friends. encountered adequate conditions to evolve. Excepting Sâr Péladan, whose presence at In France he lived a Bohemian life in Bucharest in 1898 as guest of B.-P. company of famous intellectuals and confirms the existence of a certain relation radical political activists. These two years between them10, the rest of those French spent in Paris allowed him to get his own connections still remain to be documented. pessimistic vision of the world. Fără At his arrival in Romania he tried to re- îndoială, Bogdan-Piteşti a dus la Paris o create the atmosphere of emulation he viaţă plină de plăceri, încercând până la missed. His salon, the exhibition Ileana, his vârsta de 23 de ani o largă gamă de activity as art critic, all these indicate that experienţe aventuroase, de la cele erotice he had in mind a precise social pattern to la cele financiar dubioase şi până la fiorii follow. In his views, the features of ideal turbulenţi ai anarhismului. Propensiunea being combined the skills and cultural lui timpurie spre senzaţiile rafinate şi interests – art and art criticism, journalism, frizând morbidul, promovate de poezia şi poetry – of educated men he met in France: arta modernă, spre simbolism şi wagnerism Fénéon, Péladan and Huysmans. In straight [(...)], merg împreună cu experienţele de connection to this social image B.-P. viaţă libertine. [There is no doubt that in shaped a persona: the real man remained an Paris B.-P. had a life of pleasures, enigma for almost all people around him. exploring until the age of 23 a large range He used to be a showman always bluffing of adventurous experiences, from erotic and hiding his feelings and every part of his ones to those dubiously financial and to public image was a removable mask. (Ill. boisterous shivers of anarchism. His early 1). A psychological motivation of this fondness of refined sensations bordering on versatility – as F. Feifer11 suggested – morbidity, promoted by the modern poetry offers a partial answer. Maybe the and art, his tendency towards symbolism personality of Felix Fénéon (1861-1944), and wagnerism (...) conjoin with libertine whose name was mentioned by Cornel experiences.]8 The aspect has its relevance among his Paris acquaintances, inspired 52 in understanding the result of a lifetime him in constructing his identity. Fig. 1 – Don, Alexandru Bogdan-Piteşti, 1916, BAR. Terms as double existence, enigma, that game he tries, as Fénéon did,14 a number of could define B.-P.’s way of life of are used human possibilities. by J.U. Halperin12 to describe F. Fénéon. Another posible source for this Out of the many conflicting aspects of his development could be found in the decadent life and character, he built his own literature. Symbolist and decadent authors persona. His style, how he spoke, dressed, were well-known to the romanian public joked, wrote, made love, was the fruit of his which had recognized in this fin de siècle individual imagination. Everything from his literary corpus his own image and anarchism13 to his syntax was shaped sensitivity.15 In this regard, a testimony deliberately. His style of writing was as about this relation between fiction and life contrived and composed as his top-hated belongs to Ilarie Chendi who, writing about appearance; often difficult to decipher, Maurice Maeterlinck, reveals the echoes of sometimes crystalline and always terse, his work in certain Romanian circles.16 “cuneiform”. Because of a consummate Zafiu’s study on Romanian symbolist poetry sense of style, he was able to conduct a put in evidence the topics of the fin de siècle double or a triple existence with “absolute generation not only in literary terms but also integrity”. The psychological contradictions seen as social and existential patterns deeply remarked equally by friends and enemies rooted in literature.17 could be considered as distinct facets of a complex personality. By playing this mask *** 53 Beyond the controversial around his Zambaccian (1889-1962)26, seemed to be non-ethical behaviour – subject never the victim of a similar seduction.27 For neglected by historians – his contribution to strong reasons his circle saw in him not a Romanian modernism was essential.18 His comedian or a crook, but human energy led dwelling place generously opened to by rules derived from fin de siècle friends turned into a crucible where new literature, where life itself is worshiped as a trends in arts and poetry were melting. The real masterpiece. careers of important Romanian painters as The amplitude of the controversy Ştefan Luchian (1868-1916), Camil Ressu19 regarding his outrageous attitude could be (1880-1962) were stimulated not only by seen in the fact that at a short while after his financial support but also by the B.-P.’s death, the literary critic Eugen uninhibited intellectual atmosphere he Lovinescu (1881-1943) disputed publically cultivated at his place20 where rough farces, the subject with Benjamin Fondane (1898- mockery, black humour, irony, licentious 1944) in one of the most influential literary speech, even insults, competed with serious magazine Sburătorul literar.28 It’s not a debates on arts and literature.21 Early coincidence that Fondane, a friend, sources mention the studio he created in speaking about him, amplified the leit-motif 1898 in his own apartment situated in of life as a supreme embodiment of genius.