The leader cult in communist Romania 1965-1989: constructing Ceaușescu's uniqueness in painting

Abstract

This study focuses on Ceaușescu’s cult in painting. Its aim is to demonstrate that in spite of obvious similarities with the master cult of Stalin, the Romanian leader's cult was not a simple adaptation of Stalin's cult, but it had its own particularities which became apparent precisely in his painted representations. The cult of Ceaușescu in painting incorporated local artistic traditions and styles (precisely mediaeval art and folk art) and developed its own form from an early period. It also followed the evolution of Ceaușescu's cult, the shifts and the themes elaborated by Romanian propaganda. Chapter 1 attempts to determine the place of the visual image within Ceaușescu's cult. It investigates different forms of the Ceaușescu cult through which he tried to master time and to impose his image as an extraordinary leader, admirable continuer of the great Romanian rulers. Chapter 2 deals with the shaping of cultural policy at the beginning of Ceaușescu rule. It focuses on the tense relationship between Marxism-Leninism, nationalism and Westernisation and tries to see how the neo-Stalinist cultural policy emerged at the beginning of the seventies and further shaped Ceaușescu's cult. Chapter з analyses the mechanisms of cult production within the Romanian Artists' Union. It also tries to identify the relationships that existed between the Union's leadership, the rank-and-file members of the Union and the organisations in charge with commissioning Ceaușescu's paintings. Chapter 4 explores the coalescence of the discourse on national art by contrasting Ceaușescu's speeches and writings with the ideas circulated on this topic by art historians and art critics. The analysis demonstrates intellectuals' penchant for the discourse on national art and their contribution to its refinement. Furthermore, this chapter tries to establish the link between Ceaușescu's cult and the circulation of the discourse on national art. Chapter 5 deals with the painted representations of Ceauşescu. It attempts to establish an iconography of the Romanian leader by investigating its main themes and the relationships between them.