“The Little Union”: Making and Painting History

Each year on January 24 Romanians remember a crucial moment in their history. By electing Colonel Alexandru Ioan Cuza as head of both states, the principalities of Moldova and Wallachia were de facto united despite the opposition of the Great Powers unwilling to see a stronger country emerge at the mouth of the Danube. With a stroke of political genius, “the Little Union” was accomplished in 1859, thus paving  the way to the great unification of 1918, which brought together all Romanian provinces. We recall this fantastic achievement by examining how it was mirrored by a work of art that would later gain iconic status: "The Proclamation of the Union of the Principalities”, which was painted by Theodor Aman, one of the founders of Romanian modern art, when history was still in the making.

Text and video presentation by Cristina Păiușan Nuică. Film concept by Bogdan Opreanu.

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