60. The Prophet Elijah and the Chariot of Fire [1931]

An artist active across multiple mediums, Mac Constantinescu has made a substantial contribution to Romanian monumental and decorative art, producing sculptures, reliefs, pediments, fountains and architectural decorations. His active presence in Romanian culture includes participation in numerous personal and group exhibitions, both at home and abroad, and collaboration on large-scale projects for emblematic buildings in Bucharest, such as the Triumphal Arch. In so doing, Constantinescu positions himself between architecture-oriented sculpture, which he learned from Bourdelle, and the Art Deco elegance obvious in many of his portraits and busts (Stefan Furtuna, The Judge, Mihai Viteazul, Grapes Harvest). Constantinescu's style stands out through its strong orientation towards decorative and symbolic sculpture, influenced by both Romanian folk art and archaic mythology. The artist skillfully approach a variety of materials - plaster, terracotta, ceramic, wood, stone, marble, bronze and copper - often favoring metal for its ability to support synthetic forms and expressive details. His decorative sculpture is profoundly influenced by mythic imagery, transposed into a modern expression in which compositional balance and symbolic dimension are defining elements. The artist is particularly in tune with small-scale sculptures and favors bronze for works conceived as "ronde-bosse", inspired by other sources besides immediate reality. Bronze is chosen precisely for its ability to perfectly mold according to anticipated optical effects. The present work depicts the figure of the prophet Elijah as an old man with a full beard, caught in a moment of transition between the earthly and the heavenly world, seated in a cart pulled by two horses. The character's posture suggests motion and the tension of ascension, while his facial expression combines prophetic harshness with solemn calm. The dynamic rendering of the horses, with their straining muscles, amplifies the sense of supernatural force, while the cart becomes a symbol of the link between man and the divine. The entire composition evokes the biblical legend of Elijah's ascent to heaven, filtered through folk imagination, transforming the scene into a timeless representation of faith.

References

GROZDEA, Mircea, "Mac Constantinescu", Ed. Meridiane, Bucharest, 1972 VLASIU, Ioana, "Dictionary of Romanian Sculptors, 19th-20th Centuries, Vol. I, Lit. A-G", Romanian Academy Publishing House, Bucharest, 2011

Dimensions

depth 14.5 cm, width 41.5 cm, height 28.5 cm

Description

bronze, signed and dated top left, "Mac Constantinescu, MCMXXXI"

Dating

1931

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